Remnant – A World Where Dreams Come True
by KotDE
Summary: Welcome to Remnant - A World Where Dreams Come True! A 17 years old student, who always thought he does not fit in this world, died under suspicious circumstances and was somehow transported to Remnant. Follow him on his path to the dark side of Remnant, while he moulds himself in a villain for all to fear. OC-SI, Gamer!OC, Not-MarySue. Enjoy reading!
1. An Unassuming Student

**A/N. Welcome to the first chapter of Remnant – A World Where Dreams Come True! As I've said, this story is an OC-SI and is in no way the character is me or affiliated with me. The Gamer ability in the fic is progressing naturally, but not to the point of character becoming a walking death machine – this isn't fun, after all. WARNING – the main character has his own morality and his own views on the plot. I cannot tell at this point if the character will become a good or a bad guy. Keep that in mind, please. Also the Gamer abilities in the fic are slightly altered so to not give MC a feel of an all-powerful god.**

 **DISCLAIMER: The RWBY series is a property of Rooster Teeth and its affiliates. In no way am I receiving any profits from writing this fanfiction. After all, the playground is theirs. All music mentioned in the chapter is property of their respective owners.**

Chapter 1: An Unassuming Student

I groaned, stumbling through the door in my small apartment and closing it behind me. Today was an especially tiring day. Having to endure droning professors, beastly end-of-semester tests and a lot of horrendous jokes and puns from my fellow students I absently wondered what did I do to deserve such punishments. Perhaps, I killed a sacred animal in my past life. Oh well, who knows.

Shrugging at my own oddness, I flipped a switch on the wall, lighting my cozy room up. Not very eye-catching room, actually – some t-shirts here and there, lots of books on anatomy, histology and chemistry lying in piles on my worktable, waiting to be opened and closed again some seconds after. An electric stove, some eating utensils and dishes from my morning rush lying in the sink, still not cleaned. Ah well, they can wait. Flipping open my laptop, I waited for it to boot up while pondering, what should I do with my life. I've been attracted to medicine ever since my days in middle school. My parents also supported me in every way they could, even after my grandmother passed away not even a month ago. Mom was still a wreck over her death, but I guess, she already made peace with the situation and moved on. I, on the other hand, am still having occasional nightmares over my mother calling me and telling the news, sobbing all the time.

Life was never all sunshine and rainbows for me, as far as I remember. I was hailed a prodigy from my first year in school. From day one, my classmates had a deeply rooted dislike for me. I was heavily bullied – my slim and wiry physique not helping matters. I've never stayed in one martial arts club for long – karate, judo, jiu-jitsu, you name it. But there were two fields I excelled at – natural sciences and hitting things with long, sharp, pointy metal objects (read: swords). The first one was a reason why I enrolled in a medical university. The second… well, I've always dreamed of becoming a fencing master, but alas, our small town did not have a fencing club, so I had to fend (pun intended) for myself. Buying a metal dulled sword from Amazon was not a problem. Training was. Turns out, even a rather large flat isn't a good place for training, so I had to move to an abandoned building site. At night, the place usually was an incarnation of tranquility – no sounds of cars passing by, no sounds of drunken delinquents eager to part an unlucky pedestrian with his possessions, no signs of a single person entering the place in whole six years the building was standing. Originally it was meant to become some kind of a hybrid between a zoo and a research facility, but due to financial problems it was simply abandoned. After some time, the building became an impromptu shelter to all kinds of social outcasts – homeless, drunks, drug dealers – the list goes on and on. They already knew me from my regular trips at night, so nobody disturbed me – when they tried, I retaliated with force. And besides, I provided them with some cover from the police, even though flimsy at best – any unusual activity from the building was simply chalked on my account. Occasional body hitting the wall, shouts and brawls were simply explained by me "training rigorously". I really doubt anyone believed in it, but in the whole time I've been there, not a single officer showed up on the proverbial doorstep. Sure, I was in constant danger – after all, drunks aren't the safest category of people to hang around. But it paid out in spades – my hearing and sigh became more sharp and pronounced, and the whole danger thing honed my reflexes quite well.

The training continued through my middle and half of my high school. After that, I became too busy to train as frequently as I used to. My interests shifted to preparing myself for university and watching anime. And God, did I watch a lot of it. By the time I graduated from school, I already began to lose interest in real life in general. And after three months in university, it was lost completely. Thoughts about suicide and getting reborn somewhere else did enter my mind many times a day. But every time I simply imagined my parents, stricken with grief over losing not one, but two family members in only a month, and a rational portion of my shambled mind just banished the persistent thought again and again.

Any psychologist you meet will tell you that the kind of internal struggle I was having is not healthy at all. In fact, this kind of instability, if not properly treated, usually tends to resolve itself in favor of the dark side – suicide, that is. And I was no exception. But I always thought myself to be lucky, and, well, I quite was.

After turning off the laptop deep in the night – a glance at a clock told me it was near midnight – I stretched, yawned a little and began preparing myself to sleep. But even after killing the lights, I couldn't help but hear a phantom song. You know it, after listening to a song one too many times, you begin to hear it in your subconscious. And the song I was hearing was the one that served as an opening for an animation show I watched not five minutes ago. RWBY. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it.

Even after an hour passed by, I still couldn't neither get a sliver of sleep, nor get rid of the song stuck in my ears. So, I decided to daydream. During the night. Daydream. You get it? Aww. I'm not as bad as Yang, am I? Anyway, I began to compose my plan of influencing the plot without getting into the scopes of the really bad guys. Namely, Cinder and her merry band of misfits.

As I was dreaming, I began to notice a subtle pressure against my forehead, which kept increasing over time, getting me a really severe migraine. The pressure did not subside, and in short order I found myself screaming bloody murder and writhing on the bed in pain. Finally, after what felt like ages, I blacked out, taking the pain away.

* * *

Groggily awakening from my not-so-peaceful slumber, I opened my eyelids, which felt like I was trying to pry crocodile jaws open. And promptly stilled.

The room around me was nothing like my apartment. It was really like a warehouse, long since abandoned. Not a single speck of dust was disturbed in here. Outside I could hear sounds – screeching of car tires, blaring of car horns, energized talks of pedestrians, and so on, so on. But what really freaked me out of my mind was a single message in a light blue hexagon.

 **Do you wish to create a new save file?**

Underneath it were two answers – Yes and No. It didn't seem like the hexagon was actually going anywhere, and so couldn't I. In fact, the only things I could move were my hands and my head. So…

I was essentially stuck here, until I answer the question?

Right. It seems so.

 _No._

 **Do you wish to continue from your old save file?**

That… Is a very good question. And it gave me three options, the new one being Edit. Here goes nothing, I suppose, if I am to have a chance to escape from… Where am I, exactly? Oh well, doesn't matter right now.

 _Edit._

 **Analyzing save file…**

 **Corrupted data – 31%. Estimated areas of corruption: Name, Age, Skills. Do you wish to proceed?**

 _Yes._

 **Save File 1:**

 **Name: PENDING ENTRY**

 **Age: PENDING ENTRY**

 **Semblance: The Gamer v.1.0**

 **HP: 145**

 **MP: 224**

 **Level: 12**

 **STR: 20**

 **VIT: 21**

 **DEX: 14**

 **INT: 26**

 **WIS: 19**

 **LUK: 3**

 **Available SP: 0**

 **EXP: 0/1650**

 **Sigil: NOT AVAILABLE**

 **Lien: 0**

I dumbly stared at the screen, unable to comprehend the entire thing. Oh alright, I've read enough fan fiction stories for it not being too… unexpected, but being a real life game protagonist all of a sudden… Well, that's really weird. And besides, I still do not know where the hell I am. I need to rectify that ASAP. Not knowing anything about your surroundings might cost you. Especially in my current predicament…

…

Wait. What. No kidding.

I gave the screen another glance and found the word (or, more correctly, two words) that captured my attention. Semblance and Lien. The former is a dead giveaway, while the latter only confirms it.

 _I'm in a god be damned Remnant._

Well, if that is not a deity's interference, I don't know what is. No name, no definite age. Nothing, but my body and mind in an ultra-hostile world, where every corner houses a horde of bloodthirsty monsters. I might as well pack my suitcases on my way to underworld. Oh wait, I don't even have them. Ehehe.

Turning my attention back to the screen, I find another flashing hexagon.

 **Please, enter your name.**

That's hard to decide. After all, my old name wouldn't blend well here on Remnant, what with the nine letters of the first name, and nine of the last one. No, I need something like…

 _Fulvus Saffron_

 **Please, enter your age.**

 _13_

 **Compiling…**

 **ALERT: Character creation incomplete – avatar not created!  
Do you wish to proceed to avatar creation screen?**

 _Yes._

That is unexpected too. Avatar creation in real life? Or might it be because I entered my new age significantly lower than my old one?

 **Due to correctly guessing the inner workings of the system, you gained +1 INT, +1 WIS!**

*Facepalm* Alri-i-i-ght. Onward.

…

…

 **Character creation complete! Welcome to the world of Remnant, player!**

And with those parting words I promptly blacked out. AGAIN.

* * *

Waking up in the same abandoned warehouse, only now a good deal shorter, I shook my head, placing my brain back into its place. From what I know, I am in Remnant now. No idea, what year it is, how old the characters are. But I sure do know the main series did not yet begin. First of all, I recognize the warehouse. That's the one that Torchwick, Cinder and their goons occupied during the infamous Dust robberies. Second, the layer of grime and dust here is so high I can barely breathe without sneezing. And third…

What's the fun in sending me RIGHT INTO the series? Sure, I can change some things, but not really much. And going with the flow – before waking up here, I was in the making of a plan. This did include me being around Yang Xiao Long's age right now. Sure, I could choose Ruby's age, but she was damn lucky and freaking proficient with her "Sweetheart" (read: weapon of doom) to get accepted into Beacon early, so… The hard way means enrolling into Signal, forging my own weapon of doom and being a hard worker. Eeeh.

I stood up, dusting myself off in the process. First on our agenda is getting ourselves a nifty passport, or whatever counts as one here. Scrolls? Maybe. After all, Hunters didn't carry any IDs around, save for their scrolls. Getting one will be daunting – I can't just go around asking for where to buy a scroll. Or can I? Ah, no hurt in trying.

I exited the dusty old warehouse and ever so carefully crept out onto the main streets of Vale. My eyes did a double-take at the sight. The show didn't really do the whole thing justice. All around me were majestic looking holographic streetlights, which did not obstruct the path at all, despite emanating a soft, warm light. The cars were sleek and speedy in design, racing past me to and fro. In the air I could see the infamous Remnant transports with their wings slowly beating against the air, creating the image of a majestic and regal bird. Vale was bursting with life, bathed in light – but there are cracks in that utopic image. Thugs beating a small Faunus girl in a back alley, seemingly unconcerned with her fate; an obese man, a boss of some small trading company, raping his secretary, who is barely out of her teens; the list of transgressions and crimes rivaling the list of all goods committed in this city.

Nothing out of ordinary. Humans are humans, wherever you look.

While I pondered the very nature of humanity, I was bumped into by a tall, muscular man.

"Hey! Watch where ya goin', shrimp!" He shouted at me, trying to push me out of his way. But to no avail. Seems like I am stronger. He pushed me once more, trying to get past me, achieving the same results – none. He tried three more times.

I decided to play with him a bit. "Did I ever tell you what the definition of insanity is? Insanity is doing the exact... same f***ing thing... over and over again expecting... s*** to change... That."

 **By successfully enraging your opponent, you have unlocked a skill! +1 INT!**

 _ **Taunt. Lv.1. EXP: 0/300. Active, mana free.  
By telling your unlucky opponent to stick his head where the sun doesn't shine, you can put a "Blind Rage" status effect on him, which decreases his INT, WIS and LUK stats dramatically at the cost of increasing his STR, VIT and DEX. Success depends on the level difference and your skill level.**_

Well, judging by the swiftly reddening face of the man and his bloodshot eyes, he is quite enraged. I tried to see his status.

" _Observe"_

 **By emulating your fellow gamers, you have unlocked a skill! +1 INT!**

 _ **Observe. Lv.1. EXP: 0/100. Active, mana free.  
Observing is a life-and-death skill of any gamer. By using the skill, you now can find out names, levels, stats and titles of the people directly within your eyesight. The higher the skill level and the less the level difference, the more accurate the information is. **_

Oh, nifty. Might as well use it on the man.

 **Name: UNKNOWN**

 **Race: Faunus**

 **Age: 38**

 **Type: Gorilla 1-Trait**

 **Aura: LOCKED**

 **HP: 430**

 **MP: 190**

 **Level: 14**

 **STR: 70 (62+8)**

 **VIT: 82 (70+12)**

 **DEX: 63 (58+5)**

 **INT: 16 (23-7)**

 **WIS: 13 (21-8)**

 **LUK: 0 (0-0)**

 _ **An affiliate of the terrorist pro-faunus group White Fang. Dumb muscle, scary when enraged due to his gorilla nature. Is currently in "Blind Rage".**_

Wait, what? What kind of broken stats are these? Is he really level 14? His physical stats are thrice as big as mine! Is it because he is a Gorilla Faunus? And he is an affiliate of the White Fang! I think I'm done for. Time for a strategic… RETREAT!

I turned tail and ran, trying to lose the man in the maze of houses. My inhuman agility, compared to other kids my age, allowed me to run rather fast. Even the Faunus with his overwhelming DEX, not expecting me to suddenly run away, did not catch me. After what seemed like an hour of non-stop running, I finally stopped at the shore of Vale, panting heavily. I was pretty sure, had I not run away, my skull could have become a reddish gray paste on a nearest wall. That was adrenaline-inducing, but I had not felt even a sliver of that mind-numbing fear that usually accompanies deadly situations. In fact, I was the very epitome of calm and calculating. And I strongly suspect my newest semblance.

 _Skills._

 _ **Gamer's Mind. Lv. MAX. Passive.  
By becoming a game character and not having a brain in a literal sense of word, you have gained immunity to most Psionic-type attacks, negative mind status effects and influences. As a side effect, strongly suppresses user's own emotions.**_

 _ **Gamer's Body. Lv. MAX. Passive.  
By becoming a game character, you no longer sustain any injuries at the cost of your own Health Points (HP). Negative status effects, like tiredness, can still affect you.**_

 _ **Taunt. Lv.1. EXP: 25/300. Active, mana free.**_

 _ **Observe. Lv.1. EXP: 10/100 Active, mana free.**_

I just effing knew it! Of course, the two infamous Gamer skills!

So, the encounter told me two very important things. First: I still do not have my Aura, although the Gamer shows up as my Semblance. How that happened is beyond my understanding. Maybe the system recognized itself as a Semblance due to not having any other options? Quite probable.

 **Due to correctly guessing the inner workings of the system, you gained +1 INT, +1 WIS!**

Oh shut up. Second: I have no useful skills. Sure, I could taunt my enemies to death, but that can swiftly lead to my own untimely demise. Thus, we go to the sacred place of knowledge.

The Library.

Finding one was not very hard. Opening my map of Vale, I opened the list of waypoints and typed in "library". Not a second after the map highlighted a building not too far away.

But getting there was completely another story. In fact, the library was merely a kilometer away from me. A whole kilometer of open water. On the island of Patch, in the Signal Academy. And curse my luck, but that was the best option I had. I severely doubt that books on unlocking Aura and building your own weapons were just lying in public libraries. Or else what would have been the point in creating elite academies and stuff?

Oh well, time to put my old life skills to the test. Let's go swim!

* * *

 _-Three hours later-_

I was still swimming. Or, to put it bluntly, flailing my hands trying not to drown. My swimming teachers in my old school are most likely laughing their heads off right now. I didn't reach the shore, no. I have like 400 meters more to swim, in fact. It's extremely cold and even though my legs cannot have cramps by definition (thanks to Gamer's Body), they still do not function at their best. Same can be told about my torso and arms – they felt like lead weights trying to pull me to the seabed.

I didn't panic. In fact, I was calmly accepting the fact I am going to meet my end in those damned waters. But accepting did not mean I wasn't trying my best to prevent it from happening.

 **ALERT: Previously corrupted save file elements have been repaired. Do you wish to apply them?**

 _Yes._

 **New skills acquired: Sword Mastery Lv. 36, Basic Education Lv. MAX, Intermediate Education Lv. MAX, Advanced Natural Sciences Lv. 12, Swimming Lv. 20, Acrobatics Lv. 23, Danger Sense Lv. 23, Perception Lv. 11.**

 **Previously heard music added to BGM List. See Settings for more info.**

That… was to be expected, but still. Did I really have so many skills in my previous life? Seems so, since all of them are in fact passives.

I turned my attention from my musings about the system back to reality. I felt somewhat reinvigorated, probably by my Swimming skill, so I again assumed my preferred position and continued my trek to the island.

* * *

 _-Ten minutes later-_

Panting and gasping for air, I finally pushed myself from the water on the shore of Patch. That sure was a hard exercise for me. I wonder if I got any stat points from that one…

 _ **Hidden quest complete!  
==Reaching the Limits==**_

 _ **Push yourself further than physically possible and breach the limits of the system!  
Reward: 5000 EXP, +5 STR, +15 VIT, +20 DEX.**_

 _ **Your level has increased by 2!  
Current Level: 14, EXP: 1350/3000  
Current STR: 25  
Current VIT: 36  
Current DEX: 34**_

 _ **Current HP: 202  
You have acquired +10 SP!**_

I am not even surprised. _Of course_ something like that was bound to happen sooner or later. At least I'm now nicely rounded up with all my important stats higher than 20. And I have 10 more to spend, which is really sweet. But it would be wiser to save them until I sneak into the library and see what kinds of prerequisites do all those skills have.

 **By making a wise decision, you have gained +1 WIS!**

Oh really? Thanks, Captain Obvious.

In the distance I could hear some energized shouts of children and some scolding ones of the teachers. Seems like the school year isn't over yet. I'm around their age and I really doubt the teachers remember all their students face-to-face. This gives me a golden opportunity to sneak in, steal a uniform and become an unassuming "Signal Student". From there getting to the library is of no concern. Plan concocted, evil grin in place… We're ready to roll!


	2. Heists

****DISCLAIMER: The RWBY series is a property of Rooster Teeth and its affiliates. In no way am I receiving any profits from writing this fanfiction. After all, the playground is theirs. All music mentioned in the chapter** **s** **is property of their respective owners.** **

**A/N: All numbers of HP, MP and the like are carefully counted using mathematical statements. I try to keep it real, after all.**

 **Chapter 2: Heists**

Sneaking into Signal's locker rooms proved an easy task. The hardest part was to escape the notice of various CCTVs, strewn across the building and closely monitoring each and every corner, nook and cranny where one could hide. Luckily, the rooms themselves were accessible through the windows outside, so there was no real problem in getting in. But as usual, not a single plan survives direct contact with the enemy. The enemy in this case being a young boy roughly my age. With an intimidating shotgun.

As soon as I slipped through the window, I was noticed by the boy. Or, rather, my left hand was noticed, but that was quite enough for him to get his shotgun ready and head my way. "Whoever you are, hands up in the air and weapons right where I can see them!" he shouted, while eyeing an alarm button on the opposite side of the room. It was clear that as soon as I show up and try to subdue him, he will run and sound an alarm. Not the way I prefer it to be. He was slowly walking to the window, eyes and ears on alert.

Creeping past the long line of lockers in the opposite direction, I eyed the alarm button and the locking mechanism on the door. The button was mechanical and rather simple to break, but the lock was electronic and most likely activated by scrolls. Shrugging, I carefully unscrewed the plastic portion of the alarm and short-circuited some wires so that it will be inoperable, but look pristine. Now it's time to get a uniform. He was fiddling with his scroll and locker before I so unceremoniously barged in, so he left the scroll out in the open in favor of his weapon. Picking the device up, I noticed many similarities between the scroll's OS and iOS. Scroll's interface in fact looked like a cheap iPhone copy. Again shrugging at the many oddities, I found the button to put the scroll into its compact mode, and began silently walking in the boy's direction. He had his uniform on him, and I could find no spares in his locker.

Silently subduing the boy, whose name was Verde Xiphos (green sword, really? Who names his child like that?), 14 years old, I put his uniform on myself, chucking my own garments into Inventory. Grabbing his shotgun for authenticity (if I stumble upon someone who knows the boy's weapon) I headed out, not forgetting to put him into the locker and setting it to open in 5 hours. Hopefully, by that time I will already be off. Taking my sweet time to Observe the items, I let out a subdued whistle. The shotgun, in fact, could become a bastard sword, with the added bonus of splitting it in two short swords. The scroll had a veritable collection of… well, 18+ materials. Various girls, some of them even Faunus, in compromising and sometimes outright dirty positions… Many would kill for a collection like that. Pretending I am watching a fighting video on a scroll (which did occupy a fair share of internal memory, in fact) I lazily strolled through the half-empty halls of Signal, eventually reaching the library.

Giving an unenthusiastic nod to a librarian, I consulted with the map where to go. The Signal Library, as it showed on the map, had a logical sorting pattern. The library was divided in sections on various Hunter-related subjects. Sections were divided into subsections on various topics. Most subsections contained two or three shelves within them. Every shelf had their books sorted in strict alphabetical order, based on the author and the title. For getting the books themselves you had to come to a terminal near a section, slide your scroll into a specified slot and pick out the books you want—they will be automatically added to a "cart" of sorts. Unnecessary books were to be put on a horizontal surface near the terminal, from where it would be collected by a robotic arm and put back into its place.

That also did not stick well with my plan. The absent books would be noticed sooner or later, and I bet my life on the fact that on the way out of the library the scroll would emit a sound, informing the librarian of a theft attempt. But… What if I get the books, leave the scroll in place, put them into Inventory and run the hell away? After all, I'm not so dependent on it, and besides, if I leave the premises with it, someone would notice and try to catch me. Simply because they would think I'm Verde, trying to run away during classes. That's a no-no.

Alright, here we go on a library "shopping" spree!

/-/

 _ **You have acquired a skill book "Forging a Weapon: Stages 1 to 7". Do you wish to learn it?**_

 _ **You have acquired a skill book "The Art of Swordsmanship: Hunter Edition". Do you wish to learn it?**_

 _ **You have acquired a skill book "Shooting a Bird". Do you wish to learn it?**_

 _ **You have acquired a skill book "Aura, Semblance and How They Help Against Grimm". Do you wish to learn it?**_

 _ **You have acquired a skill book "Basic Battle Training: Volumes 1 to 5" Do you wish to learn it?**_

If I were a girl, I would have squealed right here and now. The whole library is just a goldmine of information! Oh, the opportunities it opens for me, endless opportunities…

But it seems I have to cut the whole endeavor short—an alarm is blaring throughout the building.

 _ **ATTENTION STUDENTS! AN UNIDENTIFIED INTRUDER IS ON THE PREMISES. I REPEAT, AN UNIDENTIFIED INTRUDER IS ON THE PREMISES! PLEASE HEAD TO THE MAIN HALL FOR IMMEDIATE EVACUATION! I REPEAT, IMMEDIATE EVACUATION!**_

That's as bad as they come. Should I head to the main hall, I would be identified as an intruder (simply because nobody there knows me) and the whole operation will just crumble. If I don't head there, same problem, only then the professors would know. The only option is escape. Right now. And the hard thing is that the whole professor body is searching for me. Dammit, why can't something someday just… stick to the plan? Is it that hard? Seriously!

Ugh, it's no use crying over spilled milk. Plan B: Going with the flow.

I ran out of the library with other students and began frantically searching for a window. Or an unused classroom with a window. But, alas, I was sucked into the crowd of panicking preteens and was helpless against the sheer mass of their bodies. Soon I was pushed into the doors of the main hall. Seeing the professors diverting the mass of children into six hovering Bullheads in pairs and quartets, I became nervous. They were checking their faces through the databases of Signal students so that the intruder (me) would have no chance to escape with the others. Bad. And I noticed some professors patrolling the perimeter, so that option was out too. Too bad. Like, epic bad. I'm out of stealth options. Meaning I have to bulldoze my way through. Another, way more risky plan was already forming in my head. I decided to hell with it.

When I was close to the Bullhead, I took off into a sprint, performing a somersault in the air, jumping over the front row of students and rolling under the Bullhead. I felt two bullets zooming right over my right shoulder, but only that. Falling off the steep cliff, I assumed a diving position and a second later I hit the surface. Not as hard as I thought I will, what with the height and all that, but I had no time to marvel—I was already under heavy fire from above. Diving deeper, I swam through the thick water, seeing how the bullets stopped just short of my body due to water viscosity and friction. Had I not had the Gamer's Mind ability, I would have been shaking from all the adrenaline I've produced through these three seconds. Swimming further from the shore, I saw children leaving one of the Bullheads. That is very-very bad. Meaning it is going to pursue me in very short order. I dove even deeper, disregarding the pressure mounting against my eardrums. If I'm caught, I'm done for. If I'm not caught, I live another day. I choose the latter option.

Swimming to the mainland under 10 meters of cold water, I began to feel the oxygen deprivation. Soon I should swim upwards to get a gulp of fresh air, but if I do, that Bullhead will most likely notice me and converge on my position. I willed myself to keep the oxygen just for one more minute, not stopping and swimming further. I swam and swam, already seeing the black outline on the edges of my vision. If I don't get some air soon, I will get blinded until I maintain a steady oxygen supply. Things are sure looking grim, especially with my HP finally reaching the 10% zone.

Imagine my surprise, when suddenly I caught myself in an underwater current. My speed suddenly increased threefold, and I allowed myself to slowly drift to the surface for some precious air. Oh, how it was sweet to finally begin to breathe. An indescribable feeling rolled through by whole body, returning it from the brink of death. My HP slowly began to climb upwards. Resting like this for like 10 seconds and not seeing the Bullhead, I dove into the cold abyss again, this time intent on reaching the shore.

After three or so minutes of swimming and periodically breathing, I finally climbed on the mainland. Wet and shaking, but sure alive.

 _ **Quest complete!**_

 _ **==Break In, Roll Out!==**_

 _ **Successfully break into the Signal Academy and escape with the knowledge!**_

 _ **Reward: 3000 EXP, +15 INT , +12 WIS, +1 LUK(+3 INT and +2 WIS per book stolen, +2 WIS for reaching the goal without leaving evidence), +10 000 Lien**_

 _ **New heists added to CRIME!**_

 _ **Your level has increased by 1!**_

 _ **Current level: 15, EXP: 1350/4500**_

 _ **Current INT: 44**_

 _ **Current WIS: 32**_

 _ **Current LUK: 4**_

 _ **Current MP: 316**_

 _ **You have acquired +5 SP!**_

 _ **Attention! New Gamer version available. Would you like to see the change log?**_

What? What version? Did something update? Oh okay, let's see what's going on.

 _Yes._

 _ **The Gamer v.1.1.0.**_

 _ **New features:**_

 _ **1\. Added visible HP and MP bars with percentage. See Settings for more info.**_

 _ **2\. Karmic system. Your actions now influence your Karma orb, located under MP. By default your orb is transparent. By performing Karma-positive actions your orb becomes green. Karma-negative actions paint the orb blue. Different kinds of Karma give different kinds of bonuses (see Manual).**_

 _ **3\. CRIME system. Opening the CRIME section of your Menu will present you with different kinds of crimes—heists, assassinations, thefts. Every crime has a waypoint on your Map and has its own Karma shown in the description. More info in the Manual.**_

 _ **4\. Added sorting functions to Inventory.**_

 _ **5\. Minor alterations to User Interface.**_

Did… did my Semblance just update? And with so many major functions—take Karma for example. Wow. I can't wait to check the whole thing out, but right now I need to get away from the beach and change into my normal garments. This uniform stands out in the crowd and makes me easy to sight. I doubt they abandoned the pursuit, so I need to be careful with what I wear and how I behave.

Two minutes later, I was dry (courtesy of Gamer's Body again), clothed and ready to go. The uniform is lying on the seabed now, tied to a stone. Strolling across the shore, I sighted Hunters coming my way, no doubt to question me whether I've seen a dripping wet boy in a Signal uniform. Suppressing an instinctive fear of being found out, I put on a mask of slight curiosity and childish innocence. They approached me.

"Um, what is going on?" I fearfully asked, looking intimidated. "Am I in some trouble?"

"No, no, no," a Hunter, whose name I couldn't Observe due to our level difference, said, trying to calm me down. "We're just searching for a lost boy. He fell out of the Bullhead in the sea and he might have swam to the shore. He wore a Signal uniform and carried a shotgun. Did you see him?"

"A-a shotgun?!" I cried in fake distress. "No, I d-didn't! If I d-did, I w-would have cried out loud!"

"Hey, hey, calm down, please," another Hunter softly grabbed my shoulder and I tried hard to not instinctively retaliate. "He poses no danger, we just want to find him and return him back to Signal."

Yeah, that's a big load of BS. I'm glad I lost the weapon during the fall. They had no other way to identify me, save for the shotgun and the uniform, both of them safely residing in the sea right now. I shook my head in denial, still appearing fearful.

"Oh, it's okay. No need to panic. If you see him, please tell a police officer. Alright?" the first Hunter smiled sweetly, trying to alleviate my "fear". Receiving a wordless confirmation, they instantly passed by me, going in the direction I came from. Not even checking if I have my ID? Really? Are they that dumb or do they think the intruder was several years older, so they overlooked me? Well, so much the better. No need to watch out for police then. But now I need to get to those warehouses.

 _-Half an hour later-_

I finally reached the warehouse I "spawned" in. The building's not really rusty, so I don't think it will collapse on me any time soon. Getting upstairs into the control rooms, I sealed the entrances shut and opened some windows to renew the air inside. It's really dusty in here, actually.

Sitting in the chair, I grabbed the books I've stolen and promptly learned them. **The Art of Swordsmanship** added a new level to my existing **Sword Mastery** skill, making it Lv. 37. **Basic Battle Training** seriesincreased my **Acrobatics** , **Danger Sense** and **Perception** skills by 7, 5 and 9 respectively (after all, there were literally _five_ books in one). **Shooting a Bird** added a new skill, **Sharpshooter Lv. 1** , which gave me a 10% increase in accuracy from base 55%, and gave a passive status effect **Eagle Eye** , doubling my vision acuity.

But the most valuable books proved to be the last two: **Aura, Semblance and How They Help Against Grimm** and **Forging a Weapon**. They did give me some very useful skills— **Aura Lv. 1** and **Forging Lv.** **3** respectively. Aura skill proved to be both Active and Passive, its Passive form simply lowering the damage I receive depending on my Aura level and providing a 25% increase in all stats. Active form increased my stats by 60%, added 150% modifier to my EXP gain and decreased the damage similarly to Passive form at the cost of 14 MP/second. Forging, since it included all existing seven steps, halved the time necessary to craft my own weapon and allowed me to create complex weapons, the difficulty depending on skill level. Unfortunately, this was a Crafting type skill, and thus it could be leveled only by practice. Shame, it means I still should enroll in Signal to make a weapon or satisfy myself with a weapon from a weaponsmith, and those can be quite pricey.

I immediately activated my Aura. I didn't feel really strong, nor did I gain acute senses, but somehow I felt… more natural. Like I was wearing my favorite clothes or lying under a warm, fuzzy blanket. Glancing at my MP bar, I saw it ever so slowly deplete, which meant I need to raise my regeneration rates. Dropping 8 points in WIS and 7 points in INT, I received a notification.

 _ **By raising your Intelligence over 50 points, you have unlocked a title "Wizard"!**_

Dumbfounded, I clicked on the title, hoping to glean more info from it. And I wasn't disappointed.

" _ **Wizard": Passively increases your MP regeneration by 25%, increases overall mana pool by 15%. These bonuses stack with other effects.**_

Trying my best not to whoop in joy and closing the dialog screen, I applied the Title. My status screen updated immediately, reflecting the change. My mana also began to ever so slowly climb up, which meant I could keep the thing up indefinitely! That's a major boon, I admit. My mana pool also suffered a major increase: from 316 to 567 MP—almost doubled! Not even mentioning the HP: from 202 to 298 is a huge change. And that only on level 15! I shudder to think what will happen to me on higher levels.

Alright, now with the issue of mana resolved, we now can proceed to Phase 3: Arming ourselves with nifty magical tricks. With my Aura enabled, there should be no problem with manipulating a little magic. First on agenda: cloaking tech. If we're going criminal, we should make sure nobody sees us in the first place. Cloaking can come in many different forms: emulating background colors, like a chameleon, or bending the light around us, so there is an illusion of not being there in the first place. The issue with the latter is that the light won't also reach my retina, making me essentially blind. This can be overcome by sonic navigation, for example. But this can also be used against me. After all, I still exist, and this allows sound to reach me, reflect off me and return back.

Brainstorming like that for nearly an hour, I decided to go with the option "lightbender". Simply because there is magic. And magic defies the rules of physics. Why shouldn't it defy physics this time?

 _ **By making a wise decision, you have gained +1 WIS!**_

Oi, shut up, you. Let's better get to work.

 _-Ten hours later-_

Groaning from exertion, I limped to a makeshift bed on the second floor of the warehouse. Hell of a day. I emptied my mana reserves countless times, even got four points in VIT for my efforts, but to almost no avail. Although I failed to create invisibility, I succeeded in teleporting across the warehouse by accident. This happened after 134 tries or so, when I tried to implement some quantum physics in my "Cloak Theory". The result was… teleportation.

 _ **By blindly rushing into the unknown, a skill "Teleportation" has been created!**_

 _ **Teleportation. Lv. 1. EXP: 50/1000. Active, VAR MP/use**_

 _ **What else can be said about this?**_

 _ **Distance of teleportation depends on amount of MP used, skill level and accessibility. Minimum 70 MP/use.**_

 _ **Accessibility varies from 0 for absolutely inaccessible surfaces to 1 for straight path without any objects blocking the way. Note: 0 is used as a point of reference, and no surface in existence has accessibility equaling 0, meaning all surfaces are accessible in one way or the other.**_

Quite interesting, right? The bad thing is that the damn system never gives me formulas to calculate this kind of stuff. So I simply rely on my own experimenting and wild guesses. And, according to the system's choice of words, with the right amount of mana it theoretically can be easier to teleport on the moon, hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, than on a heavily fortified underground base right under my feet. Weird.

But right now I'm too tired to ponder the weirdness of the universe, so I collapsed on the bed and was out like a light.

 **-The next day, 8:30 AM-**

I woke up suddenly. Not because of my (nonexistent) alarm clock, mind you, but because of a very foreboding BGM. And to make matters worse, my Danger Sense was practically ringing in tune to the music. If that wasn't warning enough, then the big group of thugs wearing Grimm masks, rummaging through the warehouse's first floor was. So this was the White Fang's point of operations long before Torchwick came? Ugh, the realization I was practically sitting on top of a hornet's nest makes me a little dizzy. I need to get out fast, or I risk becoming a bloody splat on the wall. Concentrating on Teleport (I didn't have any prized possessions, thankfully, so I didn't waste any time I could use to be as far from here as possible), I displaced myself two alleys away, losing only the minimum 70 MP in the process. Serves to remind me I'm not the only criminal in Vale. If I want to get by, I need to become stronger. And that is easier when using this new CRIME system. Opening the window, I glanced around the map, noticing the Patch Island to be grayed out. Not surprising, considering there isn't many buildings on it aside from the academy, which was already "looted". I then tried to find any highlighted crimes to commit in the vicinity. The closest one was located in Commercial District and involved, according to the description "breaking into a high-security vault and claiming all the valuables inside". Vault implies bank, bank implies lots and lots of money. Reminds me of a PAYDAY 2 heist, only now my only weapon is a teleport cheat. It would be kinda good to know where exactly the vault is… Ah, well. We will improvise.

 _-An hour later-_

And here I am. The Vale branch of the Schnee Dust Company Bank. Honestly. Attempting to rob a Schnee bank practically screams "suicide". And getting out of there with money, Dust and Oum knows what else those wealthy people put inside is teetering on the edge of "impossible". But doing this unarmed? The difficulty level just went flying to the Pluto. But don't we enjoy those kinds of challenge?

Entering the main hall, I immediately spotted seven cameras, which were observing every corner of the bank and leaving practically no opportunity for a robber to get in unnoticed. I sat on the bench near the exit and began Observing the cameras, leveling the skill in process.

 _ **SDC Bank Surveillance Camera**_

 _ **Lv. 30.**_

 _ **Viewing angles: 135±25° horizontal, 85±15° vertical. For more precise measurements please level up.**_

 _ **Angle of possible movement: 30°**_

 _ **NOTE: Operated by automatic systems within the bank.**_

 _ **New quest!**_

 _ **==Schnee Break In!==**_

 _ **Difficulty: Insane Realism**_

 _ **Goal: Break into the vault on the lowest floor of the bank and leave with its' contents.**_

 _ **+100 000 EXP, + 2 000 000 Lien, other rewards from the vault, +60 INT, +30 DEX, +20 VIT**_

 _ **Bonus Goal: Disable the surveillance system. +30 000 EXP, Skill Book "Stealth", +10 INT**_

 _ **Bonus Goal: Do not get noticed by the Schnee Security Droids. +50 000 EXP, Skill Book "Automatons: How To", +50 WIS**_

 _ **Failure: Death, possible death, inescapable death.**_

…Just what kind of s*** have I found myself in? The difficulty level does not exactly strike me as easy. The rewards… are insane like the difficulty. But the failure options… And I can't refuse the quest, goddamnit! I'm ready to bolt out of here right now, forgetting about the whole idea of heists. But if I succeed… 180 000 EXP is just the thing to become stronger, not to mention the skill books. What to do…

 _ **Attention! New Gamer version available. Would you like to see the change log?**_

 _Yes._

 _ **The Gamer v.1.1.1.**_

 _ **New features:**_

 _ **1\. Specific information gathered by Observe is now available to be displayed in real world.**_

 _ **2\. Formulas for calculating Player's parameters are now available in the Manual.**_

Sweet. Just sweet. It's like the system is encouraging me to go on and die. Sigh.

I promptly toggled the option "Camera View Angles" and saw the camera view angles right in the air, highlighted by red and orange, depending on the probability of getting into their view. I frowned, noticing at least seven blind spots in the hall, one of them being the bench I'm sitting on. Spotting an employee exiting the building, I stood up, dusted myself off and pursued him. As soon as he rounded a corner, I subdued him by hitting him in his temple, robbing him blind and pushing the unconscious body into a dumpster. I also got a Level 1 Security Card, which, according to Observe, gave me access to the ground floor and first underground one. The Vault was located eight more floors deeper, and that was a big headache. How do I know? I accessed the security terminal in the lounge room, where I could teleport without hassle. The terminal, for obvious reasons, did not contain full security plans, but it was quite enough.

My first stop—Security Room on Floor -3. Again warping in, but this time left with a sizable dent in my MP, I took the guard in the room by surprise and disabled him by an Aura-reinforced roundhouse kick. Years of working with my own PC and an intuitive touchscreen interface allowed me to swiftly disable the automatic surveillance system and alarms, transferring the whole controls to the guy's Scroll. Putting a password on the controls, which I didn't bother much to remember (its only purpose was to prevent anyone from wrenching them from me) I took the Scroll and the spare Level 4 Security Card. Never know when the thing may be useful.

On the Scroll I've found a camera feed from Vault Control. Hmm, the security's so tight it looks like a nuclear plant's controls—three keyholes on different sides of the room, most likely for three different people to simultaneously turn the keys inside, laser alarms (thankfully, disabled) and a load of Schnee Droids, deactivated on the sides of the room. There are also two armed people inside. If they carry the two keys needed, then where's the third?

Oh, here he is. Lazing on the couch in the lounge room. Warp, disable, grab the key and Level 9 Security Card, warp back. And I'm on a time limit here: Observe says the card is valid only for two hours plus or minus half an hour more, after that it disintegrates. Smart move. If I wasn't able to teleport around, I wouldn't have made it in time.

…

 _ **Aura's level increased by 1!**_

 _ **Aura's level increased by 1!**_

 _ **Aura's level increased by 1!**_

…

MP regenerated. Time to strike.

Warp right behind the first man, disable. Warp, disable. Keys grabbed, inserted. Now, feel the Force!

 _ **By extending your reach beyond the flesh, a skill "Telekinesis" has been created!**_

Panting from the sheer force of will, I fumbled with the keys, trying to turn all three at once. A heavy sheen of sweat formed on my forehead, my legs felt like lead and a headache began to form. But after what felt like eternity, all three keys turned simultaneously.

 _ **Telekinesis' level increased by 1!**_

 _ **Telekinesis' level increased by 1!**_

 _ **Telekinesis' level increased by 1!**_

 _ **Telekinesis' level increased by 1!**_

 _ **Telekinesis' level increased by 1!**_

I fell on my knees, unable to move. A light headache turned into harsh rhythmic pounding of blood against my skull. I panted from sheer exhaustion, noticing my MP bar empty and my HP bar cut in half. Seems like I unwittingly exchanged some of my HP for MP while doing the trick. Then I heard _that_ sound. A heavy groaning of metal against metal. The door to The Vault opened.

Suddenly "my" Scroll began vibrating like crazy. A fleeting glance confirmed my fears—a building-wide alarm has been activated. And that one was impossible to disable and existed separately from other alarms solely for the purpose of protecting The Vault. Smart asses, those Schnees. That means I'm on a **really** tight schedule. _**Really**_ tight.

Reinvigorating myself with occasional bursts of Aura, I ran to The Vault like I was chased by a pack of hellhounds. Pouring all my meager mana in the effort, I ripped off the small metal doors on the safes in the walls. The remaining 2 minutes, 17 seconds were a blind rush to secure everything in The Vault by warping around, telekinetically grabbing the trinkets, Lien and occasional metals and throwing them into the Inventory. Five seconds after I scavenged The Vault, the Droids arrived. I escaped not even half a second before. _With 0 MP and 0 HP remaining after the trip_.

 _ **Quest complete!**_

 _ **==Schnee Break In!==**_

 _ **Break into the vault on the lowest floor of the bank and leave with its' contents.**_

 _ **Reward: +180 000 EXP, +32 250 000 Lien, Skill Book "Stealth", Skill Book "Automatons: How To", 1340 Various Uncut Dust Crystals, 442 Various Cut Dust Crystals, +70 INT, +50 WIS, +30 DEX, +20 VIT**_

 _ **Your level has increased by 9!**_

 _ **Current level: 24, EXP: 5850/58 000**_

 _ **Current INT: 121**_

 _ **Current WIS: 91**_

 _ **Current DEX: 64**_

 _ **Current VIT: 60**_

 _ **Current HP: 284 (422 under buffs)**_

 _ **Current MP: 701 (1183 under buffs)**_

 _ **You have acquired +45 SP!**_

…

 _ **A/N 2: Yay, a cliffhanger! I love cliffhangers! Anyway. Many of you fellow readers might think that the MC is slowly becoming severely overpowered, what with the heist rewards and all. I assure you, this is not the case. The fact he used Telekinesis so freely after spending a lot of time just to turn three keys at once is explained by massive amounts of adrenaline. Gamer's Mind successfully blocked the mental consequences, but not the physical ones, hence the sudden boost of energy. The fact he lost all his HP and MP on his way to surface is due to his Semblance spending energy on bypassing anti-teleportation Schnee wards. His stats are a little bit on the higher side, but as a thirteen-years old kid becoming a full-blown criminal, he is even underpowered. I think if Fulvus fought Torchwick after the heist, the winner would be the latter one, due to him being a more experienced fighter, having a higher level and higher (in some cases) stats. Also, the further the plot progresses, the harder it will be for him to level. I am even thinking about timeskipping for the sake of interest, but that might or might not happen. R &R, send your plot suggestions me in PM, I will be happy to include the best ones into Chapter Three!**_

 _ **NEXT ON REMNANT: Meeting Ruby Rose, rigorously training, heisting and having fun! With tidbits of seriousness attached :D**_


	3. Red LIke Roses

_**DISCLAIMER: The RWBY series is a property of Rooster Teeth and its affiliates. In no way am I receiving any profits from writing this fanfiction. After all, the playground is theirs. All music mentioned in the chapters is property of their respective owners.**_

 _ **A/N: In this chapter some dates are mentioned. Since no official sources ever mentioned when the show took place, I assume the year when team RWBY arrived at Beacon to be 2013 (as when the first episode was released), and the start of the first semester at September 1, 2013.**_

 _ **Previously on Remnant:**_

 _By extending your reach beyond the flesh, a skill "Telekinesis" has been created!_

 _Panting from the sheer force of will, I fumbled with the keys, trying to turn all three at once. A heavy sheen of sweat formed on my forehead, my legs felt like lead and a headache began to form. But after what felt like eternity, all three keys turned simultaneously._

 _..._

 _Suddenly "my" Scroll began vibrating like crazy. A fleeting glance confirmed my fears - a building-wide alarm has been activated._

 _..._

 _Five seconds after I scavenged The Vault, the Droids arrived. I escaped not even half a second before. With 0 MP and 0 HP remaining after the trip._

 **Chapter 3: Red Like Roses**

Due to my rash and stupid actions my own body was currently lying motionlessly in an another dark alley somewhere near the bank. My soul, so to speak, was forcefully ejected from my body upon losing all my HP and thrown very far away. And I (meaning the ethereal entity I turned into) had a new Quest! To reach the body. The hard thing is that the waypoint, which was supposed to show me where my mortal shell is located, turned into a circular area 250 meters in radius. On the bright side, the quest only had a time limit of 32 hours. Literally meaning if I fail to enter my body in the allotted time, my soul will be dispersed into energy, never to exist again. Oh joy. I flew (one of the more interesting perks of ethereal form, not mentioning the ability to phase through the matter) up, trying to get a bird's view of the area I was supposed to search through. And I was severely disappointed. A lot of tall buildings and bright lights, obstructing my vision, made the task so more daunting. I cursed like a sailor and vowed never again to die, so I wouldn't need to do this again. Flying down and forward, to the edge of the highlighted circle, I displayed it in real life, rather than on the Map. And promptly swore again. From above it didn't do the size justice. Quick mental math resulted in more than 190 000 square meters of pure search (80 000, if not including the buildings and main streets)

After half an hour of fruitless search - flying around, phasing through the buildings and generally praying for a miracle, I suddenly noticed my BGM dying down and changing with Yang Xiao Long's theme song, _I Burn_ , from her trailer. Oh no no no. Im not ready for that s***! Tactical...retreat... Is that my body?

And sure, there was my body, battered, bruised and unmoving, seemingly dead (which is technically true). But the worst thing is: Yang has hoisted my body over her shoulder and RAN AWAY! To where, I have no idea. Maybe to a graveyard, after all, a corpse is to be buried. But why would she want to bury me? Or are there other options? I flew after her at the most speed possible, continuing to ponder just where the hell does she carry me. Not a graveyard. Not her home either(I bet Ruby will freak out at the sight of a dead boy hanging from her sister's shoulder). And rounding what seemed like a hundredth corner, my unproductive musings were interrupted by a sight of a big white building.

A freaking hospital. She. Carried. A corpse. To a hospital. Maybe she thinks I'm not dead enough? Or she can't tell apart dead from alive? Or... My body isnt technically dead, just not breathing and with no pulse. That would make some sense - if a soul enters a half-rotten corpse, I really doubt anything remotely good will happen. And having no pulse and breathing is only a clinical death, not a biological one! Sensing a light bulb going off above my head, I decided to hear the dialogue of Yang and whoever meets her first (and doesn't panic - she looks really distressed, not even mentioning my bloodied limp form). Thankfully, she didn't collide with any patients with heart problems: after all, we have no need for collateral casualties. Slipping behind the blonde on habit, momentarily forgetting I can't be seen by anyone here, I heard a gasp of a nurse and a quick recounting of a situation by Yang. Here the revival begins. The nurse, in the absence of a doctor, tried a textbook CPR on me to no avail for two minutes straight. Yang meanwhile ran away again to search for a doctor. I was trying to enter my body, but the nurse's Aura, which usually helps to jump-start a patient's own Aura, in this case only prevented me from reuniting with my physical form, because it coated the whole body. To my relief, after those two minutes a doctor came in and for a second, her Aura receded, giving me a moment to slip in, which I did. And promptly received a notification.

 _ **Warning: You have used your latent skill Gamer's Soul. Time before next use: 143h:59m:56s.**_

 _ **Until then, your soul will disintegrate upon death.**_

 _ **The skill may only be used on a body that did not suffer more than 60% damage, otherwise the return will not be possible (i.e. decapitation). In this case, the soul would seek a new host. In the absence of one, your soul will disperse.**_

 _ **Note: damage percentage is counted from the head down, meaning that the removal of it equals 93% damage.**_

Oh sweet joy, I'm actually one hell of a lucky bastard. Is that because my LUK is 4? Well, at least I won't die, but only if I don't decapitate myself or chop my head off, he-he.

But its not yet time to wake up, I still need to relaunch my organs and systems, like the heart, lungs, this kind of stuff. Slowly proceeding to restart the body, cleaning the blood vessels along the way, stimulating the red bone marrow to produce more blood cells, and generally fixing the damage dying inflicted on my body, I estimated the time until waking up to be around three to four hours. Until then, I can go to sleep, I'm _dead_ tired.

* * *

And again I woke up due to a BGM change, but this time it wasn't ominous. In fact, the music I couldn't yet identify with my sleepy brain was quite soothing, like a lullaby. It even had those cooing sounds! But the longer I was awake, the more fast the music became and realization dawned on me. Ruby. Ruby Rose's theme song, _Red Like Roses_! The volume steadily increased, as did my panic. I did not plan on meeting anyone from the main plot! Not yet! And where the hell is Yang? With her? Or is she accompanied by someone else? Aww, my head is going to spontaneously combust at this rate!

 _ **Multilinear Mind's level has increased by 1!**_

Wha? What?

 _ **You have slept in a hospital bed. Your HP and MP have been 90% restored.**_

Wait a second! What is going on?

 _ **Attention! New Gamer version available. Would you like to see the change log?**_

CAN SOMEONE UP THERE SLOW THE F*** DOWN?

 _ **Okay ;D**_

I pressed the Yes button on the prompt, still fuming, but thanking system nevertheless.

 _ **The Gamer v.1.2.**_

 _ **New features:**_

 _ **1\. Major HUD and UI overhaul. For your convenience a question mark button, activated by "System Help" mental command, has been added.**_

 _ **2\. Skill overhaul. Skills "Basic Education Lv. MAX", "Intermediate Education Lv. MAX" had been deleted, with an apology +8 INT and +8 WIS bonus. Skill "Advanced Natural Sciences Lv. 12" has been deleted, with an apology +12 WIS bonus. Skill "Perception Lv. 20" has been converted into Skill Subcategory (see Skill Tree for more info).**_

 _ **3\. Observe now passively shows names, levels and titles above the characters, earning half the normal Skill EXP in process. Name showing is now not dependent on accuracy. Levels and titles follow the old rule.**_

 _ **4\. Manual tab has been integrated into Settings. Note: the Exit button will not be added to Main Menu in any future updates.**_

 _ **5\. Crafting tab has been overhauled. New Crafting system now incorporates Karma and Aura, adding the possibility to craft Items using Aura. Note: this will add a Soulbound effect to every Item created, meaning they cannot be sold nor lost. Caution: Permanent deletion of such an item may result in violent Aura explosion, depending on the amount of Aura infused.**_

 _ **6\. Pain Regulator tab has been added to Options. Note: while it is possible to set it to 0, it is neither encouraged nor recommended. Proceed with caution.**_

 _ **8\. BGM system overhaul. If the character is approaching stealthily and/or has high enough level of Stealth or its equivalent, the character's theme might not activate. "Foreboding" and "Danger" types of music now activate only if "Danger Sense" is active. Proceed with caution.**_

 _ **Good luck, Player.**_

That... Was very sweet and bitter at the same time. I'm particularly sad over losing the BGM advantage - I can now be stealthily sneaked upon - but the other nifty buffs, like Observe always showing names, apology bonuses to my Stats, and such, completely cancel out the negatives. And the Crafting... I can't help but wonder of the possibilities...

As if to ruin my daydream, the door to my room opened. First person was Yang, who was sheepishly grinning at her little sister, Ruby. Ruby in particular had surprised me. She was so small and cute I couldn't at any rate associate her with the terrifying scythe-wielding girl from the original series. That was to be expected, after all, she isn't due to go to Signal for two more years, if my Observe was correct (and Im sure it was).

 _ **Thus Kindly I Scatter**_

 _ **Name: Ruby Rose**_

 _ **Age: 11**_

 _ **Semblance: Speed (Rose Petal Hurricane)**_

 _ **HP: 66**_

 _ **MP: 130**_

 _ **Level: 7**_

 _ **STR: 4**_

 _ **VIT: 7**_

 _ **DEX: 18**_

 _ **INT: 10**_

 _ **WIS: 6**_

 _ **LUK: 1**_

That's what I call an imbalanced build. Her MP are twice as big as her HP! And don't get me started on her DEX! No wonder she's so fast, but a very poor fist fighter, compared to Yang. That girl is imbalanced too, but in favor of strength - 27 STR, 15 VIT and 17 DEX, but 11 INT and meager 7 WIS! She's like a walking, ticking bomb, no, she IS a walking, ticking bomb! I shudder to imagine her stats after Signal. If what I've seen in the show is any indication, her mentals will still be outstripped by her physicals. Although she will gain some sense, but right now, she is a danger to everyone present.

* * *

My internal rant was again interrupted, because someone else entered my humble abode. And this person truly sent shivers down my spine.

 _ **?**_

 _ **Qrow Branwen.**_

 _ **Lv. ?**_

His crimson gaze pinned me to the bed for a split second, before Gamer's Mind kicked in, informing me of a failed mental influence. Yeah, if someone can give off some noticeable bad vibes, it's him no doubt.

"So... You're the one whose sorry arse my niece hauled in this snake pit, arent you?" he grunted, not receiving a response.

"Uncle Qrow!" Yang exclaimed in indignation, glaring at the older man. "I just did what was necessary!"

"Yeah, yeah, you did," Qrow waved his hand in obvious dismissal, instead focusing on me. "What's your name?"

"Umm, F-Fulvus Saffron, sir. Can I know who I'm talking with?" I "tried to keep fear out of my voice". After all, no need for him to know I'm not intimidated. Though my natural instincts are still kicking and screaming at me.

"Yeah, sure, kid. I'm Qrow Branwen, instructor at Signal Academy. Any more questions?" Oh, he sure is hostile. I guess the hospital couldn't find me in Vale databases, so they decided to be better safe than sorry. And what a coincidence, a girl who brought him here is a niece of one of the strongest Hunters in existence! That's my luck to you.

He decided my silence was a negative answer, so he continued his questioning. "How the hell did you get to that alley, kid? And where the hell are your parents? No, screw that, what kind of a hellhole you climbed out to get beaten so badly?" So, he has a small sliver of concern for me, carefully masked behind his cold and impenetrable exterior of a veteran Hunter. Good to know. I wonder if I tell him I climbed out of SDC Bank Vault, will he believe me? That sure was one of a kind hellhole. No, let's play it safe. Nice and safe.

"Um, y-you see, I'm an orphan. My p-parents died in a Grimm a-attack three years ago, s-so I moved to Vale," I shuffled my legs for good measure, making sure I didn't make any eye contact with him. As I said, playing it safe. Crossing my hands against my chest, slumping shoulders, as if recounting a particularly scary and harmful memory... Yes, it works! His eyes had just softened a little bit! Now...

"So, you're all alone here in Vale? No adults, nobody to help you get alone? Why not an orphanage?"

"M-my parents said if I m-made it out of there u-unharmed, I should go to V-Vale, but they s-said I should avoid orphanages. T-they said they are evel? Evle? No, evil!" I finally exclaimed, drawing looks of concern and pity from both girls and a look of frustration from Qrow. I guess he knows what I'm implying. Even back on Earth, orphanages never were some kind of embodiments of everything good. This seems to be true for Remnant too.

"And who cared for you all the time, kid? Don't tell me that bull about living on your own, you street types sure like it," his red eyes peered deeply into my own, greenish-grey eyes.

"Um, I lived at an old warehouse with my uncle. He was a..." I paused, seemingly to remember who he was, actually trying my best to think of something to save me from the trouble. Another light bulb went off and I continued. "...smugleer? Smackler? Ah, smuggler!"

Qrow immediately picked up on my use of past tense and seemingly offhandedly asked, "Lived?"

I nodded vigorously. Bait in, prepare to pull the fish! "Yeah, well... A big-big group of men in white monster masks recently came to our warehouse and..." I changed my upbeat tone to a more solemn one. "Demanded we give the warehouse to them."

Qrow sucked in a breath, as did Yang. Ruby looked like she lost the line somewhere along the way, gazing at me with her silver orbs without understanding. I continued, not allowing her to take me off track. "Uncle... He stood right in front of them with his gun and..." I paused in silence. Imagining the scene, I willed some tears to come to my eyes, sniffling for good measure. Qrow nodded in understanding, but I saw the welling frustration down in his eyes - he couldn't neither confirm nor disprove my story, since I was found near the Industrial District, my parents are dead, as is my uncle, and if he digs deeper, he will find some activity of the White Fang in the area, further cementing my story. I never said which warehouse in particular, so searching for blood is also futile. Vale is too large. After all, Cinder and her merry band operated right there, under everyone's noses for almost a year with no one the wiser, even Ozpin.

In other words, I'm now clean in the eyes of the law. Well, not really, what with the Signal break-in and SDC Bank robbery, but what they don't know, doesn't hurt them.

He stood up, dusting himself. "Alright, here's the offer, kid. I'll help you with your documents, since you don't seem to have any, right?" He peered in my eyes again. "But in exchange you drop the street life, at least for the duration of your stay at Signal. You will enroll this year and train to become a real member of society, not some street rat, grabbing what it can. Since you don't have a family and I myself don't think an orphanage is a good idea, you basically have no other choice. I will pay for the tutoring and lodging at the academy. The academy officials will be informed and waiting for you after you leave the hospital." Qrow paused, mulling his next words. "You strike me as an independent type, and I'm not the one to order you around, but I think you will at least consider this. But remember, once you're on the street, you're on your own, and I strongly doubt a kid like you will do good out there. Firecracker, Ruby, we're off."

They walked away, Qrow seemingly unconcerned, Yang throwing some worried glances my way, and Ruby well, being Ruby. She actually skipped ahead of her sister. Can a person be any more bubbly and hyperactive? I severely doubt so.

* * *

Right after the trio departed, a burly man in a white doctor outfit came in. "So, young man, I take it you feel okay?" he asked me with that airy tone that implied "oh, its nothing, don't concern yourself". I confirmed it, though a little tiredly. Seems the entire escapade had taken its toll on me after all. Ah, doesn't matter. The doctor then proceeded to lecture me about my injuries. I winced at the long list: cracked ribs and collarbone, some torn tendons in my left foot, a concussion, loads of bruises all over my body, some hairline fractures in tibiae, fibulae and both femurs, displaced left knee, but, most importantly, a severed carotid artery. That was the cause of me, well, dying, according to the doctor. But he said that after I was healed by the nurse's Aura (yeah right), my organism suddenly jump-started itself and started fixing the massive damage. Then he also told me I should remain in the hospital for a week more for my body to get into shape. Oh joy. I even pouted, eliciting a small laugh from the man. Hopefully by then Qrow will return with my documents. I asked him nonchalantly for what was the date today was.

June the 10th, 2009. The whole summer was ahead of me. And then four years of studying at Signal. Didn't I say? I will accept Qrow's proposition, but that won't prevent me from doing whatever I want to. However I want to. I don't want to go back to my previous life. It was too dull, too... stale. Here? Here I have opportunities. And nothing will stop me from using them to my best.

 _-A week later-_

I squinted, leaving the hospital building. The sun today was too bright for my tastes. But I was finally free from the grasp of medical staff! Oh how I disliked hospitals back in the days. Always this stale smell of medicine, angry patients demanding attention, children crying in pain... Ugh. Really. Twirling my new Scroll between my fingers, I absently wondered if it will integrate into my Gamer system as some kind of portable HUD...

 _-New software installed!-_

Ugh, I should know better than to tempt fate in my position. So, what do we have here? I opened the Map on the Scroll and began scrolling (pun not intended) through the heist list. A small dust shop nearby... No, let's leave it to someone else. I can't allow the Schnees become even more angry at me. I shuddered. Hmm, nothing even remotely interesting... Oh, a weapon-smith store! Whoop whoop, I hit a jackpot! And so much negative Karma from that one I can drown myself in it! Accepting the quest, I decided to find a secluded area to train my stealth techniques: it's either flashy magic all round and risking my identity, or going all ninja and not worry myself to death later on. Plan decided, now enacting Phase 1: Training.

 _ **You have acquired a skill book "Stealth". Do you wish to learn it?**_

 _Yes._

 _ **Error: Requires 150 INT and 100 WIS.**_

Thank Oum I still have those 45 SP from my level ups. Throwing 21 into INT and the remaining into STR, the weakest stat, aside from LUK, I promptly clicked Yes again.

 _ **By deigning to learn the sacred art of not being there when it hits, a skill set have been acquired!**_

 _ **Stealth Subcategory Unlocked! "Teleportation" skill has been added to Stealth and Transportation Subcategories!**_

 _ **"Invisibility" skill has been added to Stealth Subcategory!**_

 _ **"Smokescreen" skill has been added to Stealth Subcategory!**_

 _ **"Shadow Clone" skill has been added to Stealth and Offensive Subcategories!**_

 _ **Shadow Clone. Lv. 1. EXP: 0/9000. Active, 90 MP per clone, 120 or 240 MP/minute supporting, can evolve.**_

 _ **Have you ever seen yourselves in a mirror? Now you don't need one!**_

 _ **Creates Shadow Clones, which are able to exist in two separate forms - ethereal (unable to interact with physical realm, visible to animals only, do not take damage) and corporeal (able to interact with Items and exert Aura, visible to people and animals, disperse into a cloud of dark smoke upon dissolving).**_

 _ **Ethereal form consumes 120 MP/minute, corporeal 240 MP/minute for one clone.**_

 _ **Evolves into Sentient Clone, requirements: UNKNOWN.**_

 _ **By increasing your INT to 150, you have unlocked a status effect: "Perfect Memory"!**_

 _ **Perfect Memory. Passive, can evolve.**_

 _ **The title says it all.**_

 _ **x1.5 increase in Mental characteristics growth, perfect memory (duh).**_

 _ **Evolves into Eidetic Memory upon reaching 300 INT.**_

 _ **By increasing your WIS to 100, you have unlocked a passive UI effect: "Mastermind"!**_

 _ **Mastermind. Passive UI effect.**_

 _ **Adds a Planner feature to your Main Menu. After constructing a plan, run it through Planners Simulation to evaluate the possible risks and correct your decisions.**_

 _ **Note: Simulation is not a fool-proof tool. For example, if the Player does not know about a hidden trap, it wont show up in the Simulation. Proceed with caution.**_

At this rate, I'm not even surprised anymore. What with my absolutely broken stats, tons of skills and the like. Guh. Time to grind!

 _-Four hours later-_

I'm freaking exhausted.

 _ **Invisibility's level increased by 1!**_

 _ **Invisibility's level increased by 1!**_

 _ **Smokescreen's level increased by 1!**_

 _ **Smokescreen's level increased by 1!**_

 _ **Smokescreen's level increased by 1!**_

 _ **Smokescreen's level increased by 1!**_

 _ **Shadow Clone's level increased by 1!**_

 _ **You have acquired a skill book "Automatons: How To". Do you wish to learn it?**_

 _Yes._

 ** _Warning: this skill book does not give the Player any particular skills. Do you still wish to learn it?_**

I now understand why those skill books were both given as a rewardthey actually complement each other! The **"Automatons: How To"** book is a condition to evolve the clones to **Sentient Clone**! (tuh-duh-duh-duh)

 _Yes._

 ** _Beginning evolution for skill Shadow Clones..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _Evolution Complete!_**

 _ **Sentient Clone. Lv. 1. EXP: 0/19 000. Active, 180 MP per clone, 240 or 360 MP/minute supporting,**_

 _ **Ever dreamed of meeting your better half? No longer, because you can simply create it!**_

 _ **Creates Sentient Clones (With added ability to modify clones gender!), which are able to exist in two separate forms - ethereal (unable to interact with physical realm, visible to animals only, do not take damage) and corporeal (able to interact with Items and exert Aura, visible to people and animals, disperse into a cloud of dark smoke upon dissolving).**_

 _ **Ethereal form consumes 240 MP/minute, corporeal 360 MP/minute for one clone.**_

 _ **Clones are completely sentient, able to use Skills and Aura, perfectly loyal, and otherwise are perfect copies of the original.**_

Oh the perks... That is just ludicrous! Let's see: 6 MP/second of Clones, 14 MP/second of Aura - 20 total. My unbuffed MP regeneration rate is 2%/second, topping me at 28 MP/second regen. Adding the Wizard's 25%, we get 35 MP/second. 15 per second of simple natural regeneration! And throwing in two more, we are still left with 3 MP/sec regeneration! Four of us! Freaking four! Like the Flynt Coal's **Killer Quartet** , but even more versatile! Damn. With that kind of skillset, we're all ready to roll!

 _-11pm, the same day-_

We, meaning me and my two identical accomplices, silently crawled through the night streets of Vale towards our not-so-noble goal - stealing helluva lot of custom weapons, and maybe relieving the shop from its Lien. After all, were on a heist here. Still, I wonder why the quest had so much negative Karma implied? Even SDC Bank mission gave me only a meagre amount - around -160 Kr. This heist promises whole -800 Kr! And I wonder what caused it?

Not so long after, we've arrived to the back door of the shop. Ordering my clones to go ethereal and phase through the walls, I sat under the window, cloaked and with open Inventory.

The plan was simple as a piece of cake: I make my clones enter the shop in ethereal form, just in case there is someone inside or an alarm is on the doors and windows. Then, they survey the area for cameras, and if it's safe, they materialize and begin grabbing everything not screwed to the floor. If it isn't safe, they Observe the cameras, hide outside their viewrange and crush them. Then the plan proceeds as normal.

I, on the other hand, hide under a window with my Inventory open, ready to catch the loot. I already hear the clunk of metal and scraping of boots against the hard wood flooring, so it means the first batch is up. And not even four seconds later, the window opens and the batch falls right into the greedy maw of my Inventory. Then the second, the third... We've spent six minutes already here, and nobody even noticed! Now I understand why all of Torchwick's robberies went smoothly, until Ruby intervened. The security here at Vale is laughable.

"Who are you and what are you doing with my shop!?" a muscular man shouted while running across the street. I should've known nothing ever sticks to the plan. NEVER.

To my growing horror, I saw one of my clones grabbing a high-caliber sniper rifle from one of the racks and aiming it at the man. And before I could even twitch, a gunshot barked in the silent night. And one life left this world forever. I never even saw the telltale glow of Aura around him, meaning he didn't have it unlocked. The man was shot in his upper jaw, or whatever was left of it. The bullet sprayed his brain and pieces of skull across the pavement, with the now headless corpse in the center. Panicking hard, I climbed in the shop window, not releasing the Invisibility in case someone saw something. I and my clones hurriedly pushed everything even remotely valuable into the now tightly packed Inventory. Hearing the police sirens and dispelling the clones, I left the shop through the same window, closing it behind me and sprinting in the opposite direction, avoiding the police and the remains on the ground.

After closing the quest completion window and receiving 100 000 Lien for my efforts, I understood why the quest did offer so much negative Karma. After all, killing a person is a very serious crime. Even though I understand it's not my fault, but a clone's one, I can't help but feel deep down that this would be the same way I might've resolved the situation, had I been in my clone's place. Eliminate the unknowns, no matter how. That is how people, especially Hunters, survive here - by eliminating the unknown variables: they studied the Grimm's behavior for ages, probably sacrificing their fellows for the sake of getting more information about their sworn enemy. And once all the variables have been found, there is no more need to worry, because everything becomes predictable.

Teleporting to the front gates of Signal Academy, I pushed my Scroll into the terminal near the doors. The whole ID process took less than five seconds, and my Scroll was promptly updated with access keys to my room, rules of the academy and a map. Seeing nobody to meet me, I simply walked through the halls, updating my Map's data with the data I received at the entrance. Setting a waypoint to room 315 and collapsing the Scroll, I was admiring the view all the way along. Sure, the design of the various hallways wasnt really beautiful - after all, that was a place for children to train to slay Grimm, but it was elegant nevertheless.

Arriving at my room, I unlocked it with my Scroll and fell on the bed, already halfway asleep. The last thing I remember was me shaking off the boots, muttering "I need to clean them, they're too freaking bloody..."

 **NEXT ON REMNANT: A glimpse of the infamous Signal Academy, meeting with Yang, training, heisting, the usual! Oh, and a touch of mystery too!**


	4. Of Signal and Battle Training

****DISCLAIMER: The RWBY series is a property of Rooster Teeth and its affiliates. In no way am I receiving any profits from writing this fanfiction. After all, the playground is theirs. All music mentioned in the chapter** **s** **is property of their respective owners.****

 ** **A/N. The last chapter was a punctuation mess** **—** **my LibreOffice apparently decided to suddenly delete all punctuation and spaces from the finished chapter, so I** **tried my best** **to fix it. I** **apologize** **for the missing apostrophes and stuff** **—** **I was eager to release a new chapter for you to appreciate. Anyways, on with the story! Oh, and note that I'm not a native speaker, so my grammar might be a little… off the mark sometimes.****

 ** **Chapter 4: Of Signal and Battle Training****

 ** _== June the 1_** ** _8_** ** _th_** ** _, 2009, 8:04 AM. ==_**

Ah, this blissful feeling of waking up after a long uninterrupted sleep, how I missed it those days! Always on alert, always up and running at the barest hint of danger burdens me a great deal. Not even mentioning the constant fear of being found out. Of course, I had a contingency plan just in case, but I'd rather prefer remain where I am.

And speaking of which, I haven't ever heard about my bank robbery in the time I was at the hospital. I might have missed the news report. More information to mine from the local equivalent of the Internet, then. I should say, the Scroll is a very versatile device. One moment the size of a smartphone, the other moment it's as big as a tablet. And don't even get me started on the connection quality! For the city as big as Vale, one might think four CCT towers is not enough to ensure stable network connection, but somehow it works perfectly! And Beacon houses one of those technological miracles!

But enough nerding, it's time for me to wake up, unpack (not that I have much to unpack, mind you) and go meet the local officials. I need to make my stay here legit, after all. I sighed, but nevertheless continued my arduous task of making the room habitable at least at first glance, so I can leave at a moment's notice, leaving no possessions behind. Exiting the room and closing it behind me, I proceeded to walk to the principal office, when suddenly a voice boomed through the intercoms, most likely concealed somewhere, since I didn't notice any yesterday. "Mr. Saffron, please proceed to the training field at your earliest convenience! I repeat, at your earliest convenience!" I scowled. Oh, this confirms it. I have a tail. Someone who saw me walking out of the door and informed his superiors. And my Danger Sense was pretty much useless—there was no hostile intent behind simply monitoring a student, so… I scowled even deeper. Ugh, why my mornings always begin with something that manages to ruin my mood for the entirety of the day? That's so unfair.

Walking to the waypoint, I noticed Qrow and a blond man I identified as Taiyang standing behind two long tables littered with various weapons—the table on the left was all melee, while the right table was all ranged. I was surprised, to say the least. The weapons were all replicas, of course, but I could tell from Observing them that they were balanced exactly like their real counterparts. That decided it. I was here to find the best melee-ranged combination for my future weapon. Well, from the likes of things, me attending the Signal Academy is already a sealed deal, huh? I'm not the one to complain here. I could've spent weeks getting my documents otherwise, if the level of bureaucracy here is comparable to Earth.

Walking up to the men, I curtly greeted Qrow, since I've already met him, and then asked who Taiyang was. Ugh, this is so lame. But my cover is more valuable. I. Shall. Endure.

After we all exchanged polite greetings and introductions, Qrow literally pulled me away from Taiyang to "his" table, filled to the brim with anything humanity could devise to stick its pointy end into Grimm's (or human) hide. Lances, maces, halberds, swords, sabers—just name it! And so I began from the variety most familiar to me—a straight, one-handed sword. Waving it around to feel the balance, I found it impeccable. But something nagged at me, causing me to put the sword down and continue down the line. Choosing blade after blade, I found something in them all, something that faintly whispered: "Not the right choice." And so I exhausted the choice of one-handed weapons, again continuing down the line, trying my best to find a perfect match. And I surprisingly found it almost in the middle of the table—a wakizashi. While being curved, like a katana, its slightly inferior length will allow me to wield it with only one hand, essentially giving me the opportunity to attach something to my left arm. And its stabbing capabilities are also nothing to laugh at—due to being curved, the tip of the wakizashi is sharper than the tip of its European counterparts. I nodded to Qrow, who was actually expressing his interest in my choice of weaponry. "Oh-ho, so you're for the "up close and personal" approach, huh?" His eyes glinted in amusement. "So, now we go to that bag of hay over there… No, no, no, I meant _this_ bag of hay," he pointed at Taiyang, who wasn't amused at his former teammate's antics. Qrow was seemingly trying his best to contain his laughter. "Oh, come on, Tai! You know your hair in the mornings do in fact resemble a haystack!"

"Don't remind me, you dusty crow, I'm still baffled over this," Xiao Long grumbled good-naturedly. "So, kid," the good mood evaporated, replaced by professionalism. "Come up here and we'll figure you out."

I approached the now intimidating-looking Taiyang, who was checking me over with visible criticism. Then, seemingly satisfied with the results, he gave me asniper rifle with a magazine. I, not being accustomed to the weight, tried to stay upright with the thing relentlessly pressing on my hands. Then the Xiao Long patriarch simply walked away to the shooting range, prompting me to walk after him. After putting some effort into the movement, I managed to make some steps forward without wobbling on my feet.

 ** ** _..._****

 ** ** _Due to exercising under arduous pressure, you have gained +1 STR!_****

 **…**

 ** ** _By raising your_** ** _physical stats_** ** _to 50, you have gained a_** ** _n inactive status effect_** ** _"Grimm_** ** _Body_** ** _"!_****

 ** ** _..._****

 ** ** _Due to exercising under arduous pressure, you have gained +1 STR!_****

 ** ** _..._****

 ** ** _Due to exercising under arduous pressure, you have gained +1 STR!_****

 **…**

And so the torture continued, my body already switching to autopilot simply to conserve what scarce energy I had. By the time we got to the range, my STR shot up whole 8 points—that's how heavy this thing was. And Ruby waved a similar one around like a wooden stick! Just what kinds of monstrous training the children here in Signal endure? And the recoil was enough to send her flying! A fifteen-year old girl! My future here suddenly turns so much bleak I can't see my hands.

"So, you're not from the weak kinds of kids, I gather?" Taiyang asked offhandedly. Ugh, no, stop talking, you provoke my headache!

"Yeah, if he could carry a rifle you so shamelessly weighted, Tai, I doubt he will have problems with the real thing," Qrow joked, raising an eyebrow at his teammate.

…Wait, the thing was weighted? I released it and sure, it fell down with the force enough to leave an indentation in the ground. But its size told me otherwise! It couldn't be weighted, unless… Oh right, they never mentioned his Semblance, only saying he taught Yang how to fight. Gravity? Nope, or I would've been affected too. Magnetism? That's Pyrrha's Polarity for you. I just bet it's something really simple.

"Well, hehe, never hurt to check," Taiyang sheepishly scratched his head. I stared up at him, question in my eyes. "Yeah, that's because of my Semblance: manipulating an object's mass. I can basically make this rifle as light as a feather!" he jovially answered, not phased by my gaze in the slightest. Ugh, should've known. I guess he taught Yang by liberally using his Semblance on her, no wonder she's so durable. Like father, like daughter…

"Alright, the tricks aside, try to shoot these targets with the thing. I trust you won't hit your eye with the scope?" Qrow asked, seemingly concerned. But I could see slivers of mirth in his eyes, like he expects me to keel over from the recoil or something equally embarrassing. My inner drive ignited, I lowered my center of mass a little, put my right foot backwards, spread the feet shoulder-wide, put the rifle to my right shoulder. Finger parallel to the trigger so to not accidentally press it (the safety was off already, so I clicked it on-off, to show them I noticed it), I inhaled, shortly stopped the breath and shot upon exhaling. The recoil was enough to push my shoulder slightly backwards, disrupting the accuracy of the follow-up shot, but both bullets hit the target, so I assumed that a success. Clicking the safety back, I hoisted the rifle on the shoulder and turned to the men…

Only to find them dumbfounded. I cursed internally. That's what I get for being fired up like a teenager (which, in technicality, I was). Qrow whistled a long sound, "Wow, that was… Humbling, I guess..." Wait, what? Humbling? He uses a shotgun, for Oum's sake! That's as far from a sniper rifle one could get! "I guess you have some uses, kid," he patted me on the shoulder. "At least as an inspiration." And the man promptly walked away, whistling a tune suspiciously reminiscent of Weiss' theme song, _Mirror Mirror_. Or it is my mind playing tricks with me. I opt for the latter, or else my brain will shut down trying to figure where did he hear it.

And what the Oum did he mean "as an inspiration"? I fumed, unable to control my anger.

"Oh, don't pay attention to that dusty crow. He has his own quirks, just ignore him," Taiyang gave me a piece of advice. I decided to ask on the off chance he knew what the man meant by "inspiration", but the blond patriarch just shrugged, apparently unconcerned. So it remains a mystery.

"Well, back on topic. Do you feel alright with the rifle or we should choose something else entirely?" Tai, as I began to call him mentally (no doubt the poisonous influence of Qrow, he surely rubbed off Ruby), asked me. I shrugged, not really familiar with the guns offered, despite my gun-handling skills. Tai apparently sensed my predicament and we walked back to the tables and began testing the weapons.

By the time we finished, I apparently received five level-ups for **_Sharpshooter_** , making it Lv. 6, and a completely new skill, **_S_ _niper_ _Mastery_** , as a result of me attuning to the rifle Taiyang gave me as an example of strength-centered weapon, in contrast to the agility-centered ones, like SMGs and pistols. Apparently in terms of accuracy my earlier assumption of shotgun being an opposite to the sniper rifle was quite correct, but in terms of prevailing stats (DEX or STR) rifle was the neighbor of the shotgun, and the latter system was more popular due to Hunters choosing the weapons that fit their style—all-out or hit-and-run tactics. That made an inkling of sense about Qrow's earlier exclamation, but I still felt I have a lot of puzzle pieces missing. No matter, this is unimportant right now.

After wrapping up my selections, Taiyang offered to show me the Forge, where the students made their own weapons, either unaided (like I suspect Ruby did) or with teacher's supervision and counsel. Apparently the students were allowed in the Forge after undertaking a special class, called (surprise!) Forging and passing a paper test. I asked if I could give the forging a shot right now, which elicited a reaction from Tai – he raised both his eyebrows.

"Well, nothing prevents you from giving it a try, since the rules explicitly state only students assigned to a class are to undertake the test, but another paragraph says all students should create their own weapon. I guess the test has become somewhat of a scale to determine whether the student is up to the task. But, since you're not yet assigned to a class, I guess..." His facial expression softened. "But you pay for the materials you rendered unusable, you understand me?" He mockingly held his finger pointed at me. I equally mockingly snapped at attention. "Sir, yes sir!" Tai heartily laughed at my antics, leaving me to my own devices. I pulled up a control panel for the machine and began working on a detailed 3D models for the weapon parts, assisted by my steadily growing **_Forging_** and my past life experience.

Disassembling the gun, I carefully began **_Observing_** every single piece of metal, plastic and occasional speck of Dust, skyrocketing the skill level. Filing the results away, I then proceeded to add them to the machine's database, as well as my wakizashi. Abandoning the circular hand-guards of the traditional Japanese blade, I made the hilts sleeker and more likely to shift into what I wanted.

My idea was to embed two sniper rifle mechanisms in the wakizashi handle, ditching the other rifle elements, but retaining _t_ _win_ _barrel_ _s_ along the blade and essentially making a very lethal weapon. I didn't choose the sniper rifle for its accuracy, instead opting for its overwhelming recoil aiding in battle, like with Blake and Ruby, and the sheer amount of damage this can bring upon the enemy, Grimm or not. It is common among Hunters to assume the melee form was like that—melee. Apparently, when you try to evade a piercing strike, you don't also expect a pair of _armor-piercing_ bullets from the thing. The problem with the setup was the reloading, but I could actually make my own bullets using Aura. As for the elemental properties, I might have an idea from the Myrtenaster. A small revolving cartridge at the base of the blade, right at the top of the handle between the barrels. But instead of putting powdered Dust inside cartridges, I will use the Crystals. After all, augmenting an occasional Aura bullet is not worth an entire Dust cartridge, and crystals can last for quite a while, also augmenting my blade attacks, if I manage to attune the damned thing to my Aura.

After all, if Gambol Shroud will soon be a reality, why couldn't my idea be true too?

 ** _== June the 1_** ** _9_** ** _th_** ** _, 2009,_** ** _3_** ** _:_** ** _26_** ** _AM. ==_**

 ** ** _Forging's level has increased by 17!_****

I _finally_ managed to make the blade. Oh Oum knows, how much materials I've scrapped so far, but I haven't used a single piece of metal from Signal—I put the weapons I've scavenged to the task. In the end, I was left with my weapon, but also with a HUGE pile of metals, Dust and the stuff. The metals weren't a problem: the forge had a recycling function, so it could smelt the unfinished or failed projects back into their initial components. If anything, I've just done a huge service to the Academy by donating three and a half tons of steel, titanium, aluminum and tungsten. The Dust found refuge in my lightened Inventory. But the most rewarding was…

I was done. The weapon was completely finished and attuned to my Aura. I actually added a small attachable scope in the process, as well left the rooms for the bullets, just in case I needed to load any Dust bullets of .338 Lapua Magnum caliber, as opposed to Ruby's .50 BMG rounds – the barrel for those monstrosities simply wouldn't have fit. The aforementioned barrels were protruding six centimeters from the hilt, essentially making a possibility of a literal point-blank kill. On a whim, I also made a second version, not able to think of a secondary. And besides, the more, the merrier, right?

I actually managed to fall asleep right there shortly thereafter. Waking up in the morning from the sounds of students doing maintenance of their prized possessions, I made haste to the training grounds, where I was already awaited by Qrow and Tai. Giddily hiding my new creations behind my back, I lazily strolled to them, not a single muscle telling I was anything but calm. And I was not disappointed. "Did you manage to make anything even resembling a blade? Or is it in the recycler now, I wonder?" oh, so Qrow rubs the wrong way on anyone he meets. Good to know. I cocked my head sideways, allowing a small smirk to leave my lips. The smirk did not go unnoticed by Qrow, who narrowed his crimson pools of blood at me, saying "Continue". I ever so slowly got the weapons from behind my back. Qrow was suitably impressed, while Tai was… speechless. Yeah, just speechless. He stared at my _Merry Dancers_ with a textbook expression of disbelief, confusion and… Admiration?

"Kid, I _demand_ you show me how the _hell you would be fighting with those_!" Tai was already on his feet, bringing a steel training dummy from Oum-knows-where. Still, I came here just for the test ride, and I wasn't the one to deny myself the chance. Jumping high in the air, reorienting myself for a flip and pointing the blades forward, I shot all four barrels at the dummy, using recoil to add speed to my somersault. Landing behind the metal construct, I shamelessly copycatted Ruby's ending move—bringing the left blade to the dummy's neck, I shot the guns of my right blade into the dummy, making two more nice little holes in it and beheading the thing because of recoil. Rolling away from it, I noticed all my opening bullets pierced the dummy cleanly. So, six holes in its chest area and lacking a head? Even I can't recover from injuries this serious. And the whole encounter took less than three seconds. Sure, I could just slice it in two, what with the showing off, but I felt the need to do so.

...I think I broke those poor men. Taiyang in particular. He just stares off in the distance, probably wondering, where did the universe go wrong. Qrow, meanwhile, had settled for simply observing me, scrutinizing my every inch, like I was an exhibit. "Say, kid, what inspired you to make that particular move in the end?" Qrow asked me, not releasing his gaze. I involuntarily gulped, realizing I screwed up again big time. This is not a move intended for swords, this is a move for _scythes_! And Qrow here is the best at handling the thing, according to Ozpin. How could I possibly forget that? Stupid, dumb idiot! Think! "U-um, I saw my uncle cutting off a head with his sword, but I'm nowhere near strong as him, and I felt I should honor his memory by trying the same, but I'm too weak for that, so I decided to compensate with recoil, but it was too strong and I..."

"Oi, oi, oi, shut up, please! You sound just like Ruby!" Qrow scowled at me. Both men shuddered. Is this the power of babbling women? It must be so cute and infuriating at the same time for them to react like this… Wow, my respect for the girl went up a few notches. And my own head will probably sit in its place for a little longer, according to the facial expression Qrow and Tai adopted. Seems like my child appearance adds credibility to my BS hidden skill… One more thing to file away.

And so began my not-so-dull summer at Signal.

* * *

 ** _====TIMESKIP====_**

 ** _==September the 1_** ** _st_** ** _, 2009, 8:00 AM==_**

So. Today's the day. The day I enter Signal Academy nice and proper. The day I begin my studies in order to become stronger. For the sake of survival and for myself to build my own fate.

I've been self-training and occasionally heisting for the remainder of the summer, since Qrow began to prepare Ruby and Taiyang was finishing with Yang. I did not dare interrupt them, lest I become a punching (for Tai and Yang) and slashing (for Qrow and Ruby) bag of meat. The whole summer was spent raising my level to 27, STR to 65, DEX to 100 (I lost count how many bruises I received from hitting a random tree after shooting my barrels), VIT to 75 and WIS to 150 proper (15 WIS from the SP I gained and 4 from some actual studying), getting a skill cookie for my efforts, a **_Magician_** title, evolving my **_Wizard_** one, and granting me 75% increase in MP regen, instead of 25% by Wizard, and a 40% mana pool increase. Compared to previous 15%, that was a surefire way to make even the best Schnee casters jealous. That propelled my buffed MP reserves to astonishing 1916 MP and my buffed HP leveled out at 625. But the best cookie?

My Aura reached Level 25. And that meant its bonuses almost _doubled._ As in doubled doubled. But so did the cost. A 90% augmentation of my stats, 25% decrease of the damage, and the best: EXP gain went from 150% to 200%! Not a double, but then it would've been too imbalanced otherwise, I guess, and all this at the cost of 28 MP/second! Hoorah! Making my HP and MP at 732 and 2231 respectively! The very definition of Insanity!

And now I, probably the strongest in this sorry bunch, was standing in the main hallway with other children my age. They were glaring at each other defiantly, eager to tear each other throats open. The level of bloodlust from them hit me like a truck, and I couldn't help but feel dizzy from the intoxicating feeling. It was… invigorating. I couldn't wait until the first sparring matches…

I felt a familiar presence behind me, ready to pounce. Acting on instinct and still being on a bloodlust high, I grabbed my blades, turned around and… met a grinning face of a very familiar blonde.

"Damn you, Yang! I could've cut you open! Don't creep up on me like that!" she still had that infuriating grin on her face, as if she hadn't been at a literal sword point mere seconds ago at all.

"Oh, come on, _Wulfie_ , we both know it's a lie, right?" she leaned in, her smile not faltering in the slightest. "Right, _Wulfie_?"

I growled at her in defiance, my heightened mood deflated again. She came up with that exasperating nickname three days after I was cleared from the hospital and went to their house in the woods of Patch. It somehow stuck, and now the entire Xiao Long household called me only like that. How could Yang derive a Wulfie from Fulvus, I can't even fathom. It's all her legendary puns.

"So, how about a friendly spar, Wulfie? You up to it, or you have a headache again?"

I groaned again, remembering the incident.

Yang tried to ask me for a spar, while I refused for what seemed like a thousandth time. And she asked in her sniffy and pouty voice, why didn't I want to spar with her. In all honesty, I was afraid I hurt her, what with the level difference and all that. But Yang's pride as a fighter was only shadowed by her… re _pun_ tation. And I curtly answered with a generic answer "I have a headache, Yang. Go pester your dad, he is more than willing, I bet". She promptly ran to her father and asked a question that sealed my fate. "Dad, what does it mean when someone refuses, claiming he or she has a headache?" Taiyang choked on his drink, Qrow did a wonderful spit-take of his liquor, and me? I was facepalming so hard my face must still have that indentation on it. Anyway, they explained it. In detail. After that I was subjected to so much teasing I doubt even Ruby was teased so hard in the original timeline.

Back to the present, the massive doors into the canteen, which was now doubling as a stage, promptly slid open, and the huge mass of living bodies streamed inside. I pulled Yang behind me, pushing my way through the children up ahead, closer to the stage. Me and Yang occupied the seats in the third row, near the center. Not a really obvious advantage in hindsight, but I already could feel many hostile glances on my back from the children who wanted to occupy the places instead. So it seems I have a "fan-club" of sorts already. Oh joy. Bring it on, kids! I can sense them wishing to tear my heart out of my chest, crush my guts and grind my bones to dust… Oh. I again lapsed in one of my sudden bouts of empathy. And what an empathy it is—sensing the most vile, the most atrocious thoughts in their minds, bringing them to the forefront, and promptly feeding on those feelings. Well, what can I say? Blame my Karma. It actually happened after I reached -1500 Kr. I've received a status effect "Empathy: Negative", allowing me to do the things I described. And in fact, the act of basking in their negative emotions did give me a boost in regeneration for my MP and HP. I totally love this Karmic system.

While I was indulging in the negativity, Yang began to stare at me in confusion. After some time, her confusion suddenly turned into slight fear. And after some more time she shivered, tearing her glance from me. I couldn't fathom what was wrong with me, until I turned to other students. And they too began backing off, shivering and pointing their fingers at me.

 ** _ **WARNING: Due to absorbing a lot of negative emotions of humans, your inactive status effect "Grimm Body" has been activated.**_**

 ** _ **Time until deactivation: 5h:59m:47s**_**

 ** _ **Added inactive status effect "Grimm Mind"**_**

 ** _ **Added inactive status effect "The Grimm"**_**

 ** _ **WARNING: Continuing to absorb negativity will provoke "Grimm Mind" to activate.**_**

 ** _ **WARNING: Due to having "Gamer's Mind", "Grimm Mind" status effect has been deleted**_** ** _ **due to contradiction**_** ** _ **. Further absorbing negativity will provoke a**_** ** _ **ctivation of "The Grimm" and subsequent**_** ** _ **full Grimm transformation.**_**

 ** _ **Note: due to Grimm not having souls, your Aura will be inactivated and replaced with "Grimm Dragon's Blessing" of the same level. All benefits will be kept.**_**

… OH SH**!

 _ **A/N 2: Yup, just another cliffhanger and a lot of questions to be asked! What kind of route will Fulvus follow: run away and hide from the Hunters? Killing all the children inside, leaving no evidence? Or simply explaining himself to Yang, Ruby, Qrow and Tai? Oh, so many different variants! I now even consider him leading a big pack of Grimm to attack Vale :D**_

 _ **With great power comes great responsibility! And in this case, a big burden. Will this turn of events sever his last ties with the proper society as a whole? Or will a miracle (again?) descend upon the Chosen One?**_

 _ **Also, to note: Just so you know, the name Merry Dancers is a Scottish name for northern lights (aurora borealis).**_

 _ **My offer of plot suggestion still stands! So far I've received only one message from M.J. with his ideas! Be more active, and the fic will be more active too!**_

 _ **Next chapters will probably slow down, because right now I've laid down the foundation for the story. And the next chapter will feature more heroes from the main series! *Clap clap clap***_


	5. The Incursion and Initiations

**DISCLAIMER: The RWBY series is a property of Rooster Teeth and its affiliates. In no way am I receiving any profits from writing this fanfiction. After all, the playground is theirs. All music mentioned in the chapters is property of their respective owners.**

 **Achtung! Attention! This chapter contains some theories about Remnant, namely, why didn't humanity ever find any oil, what do they know about the chemical elements and how does Dust form. All those theories are only that and are based on the info provided by canon, expanding it further. If you think they're illogical or do not follow rules of nature and physics, please, pm me, I will try to improve them.**

 **Note: Negative Karma points = NKr from this chapter onward.**

 **Chapter 5: "The Incursion" and Initiations**

I dumbly stared at my quickly morphing body, which was currently growing telltale black hairs and bony plates of the Grimm. My back, my arms and legs, my chest—everything was suddenly covered in them. I even spotted some black matter floating around me, further making me look like a human-Grimm hybrid. And, in all honesty, I was. I even had the Grimm mask around my face, which covered my face almost completely, save for the mouth and eyes. Trying to speak only produced a dull roar that further scared the students around me. Oh joy, that's what you get for messing with the Dark Side.

The doors to the canteen burst open, and the professors, who were about to enter, stopped frozen in their tracks. Apparently, seeing a Grimm in the heart of the academy isn't an everyday occurrence. To their credit, the professors recovered quickly and started firing at me, splitting into improvised quartets. The first years quickly ran over to the opposite side of the hall, not wanting to be caught into crossfire. A split second later, the hail of bullets reached me. And did absolutely nothing, save for reducing my HP a little bit. Although nobody expected such a sudden turn of events, the teachers, being the seasoned Hunters they were, brought up the big guns—an occasional grenade launcher, some high-caliber sniper rifles and stuff. And again the barrage reduced my HP only by 10% or so. Of course, after not witnessing any damage, the Hunters immediately ceased firing and tried engaging into a melee. Tried being the operative word. I didn't want to be impaled on a lance, or, worse, eviscerated by a scythe, so I turned tail and jumped. Eight meters high in the air. Grabbing my _Dancers_ , I shot them backwards and promptly crashed through the window above because of the recoil. The shots made Hunters pause in their tracks, which gave me some time to put more distance between us. The odds, to be honest, did not look my way. One versus eighteen was never any good. And all of them were leagues stronger than I was. Running away from the academy, I occasionally avoided the bullets flying my way, trees and some animals unlucky enough to get in my way.

Successfully escaping from the Academy alive, I stopped at the same cliff, where it all actually began. Where I began my life anew as a criminal. And now I begin it yet again, now as a Grimm. Shouting (and producing a blood-curdling shriek that actually scared all the inhabitants of the island), I jumped from the cliff, diving in the water and swimming to the mainland. Falling into a rehearsed rhythm, I allowed my thoughts to wander. What can I do now that I'm essentially a creature to be hunted down on sight? I can hide in the forests surrounding Vale, but this is rather dangerous. What with the off chance a group of Hunters manages to stumble upon me? I won't be able to hide forever. And even if I transform back into a human, most likely Yang already told them the story. So, the variant of me returning back is also out. This leaves… Migrating into some less populated areas and becoming stronger there. I will need everything I can to survive against the threat humanity now poses to me. This… Isn't how I imagined myself to end up, but despite the danger, it is rather interesting, I admit.

Swimming along the shore, but being submerged (I noticed I didn't need to breathe anymore, which helped me stay undetected), I spotted a whole lot of Bullheads flying from the mainland. And the majority had been dispatched from Beacon, no doubt. Oh, this had just become sooooo interesting, I barely restrain myself! So much suppressed fear, so much cold determination to kill, oh… I want them to come. They will receive a warm welcome, hehe…

I swam even further along the shore, past the Vale's walls, past the first hundred meters of the forest and finally emerged from the river, shaking my Grimm fur and rattling my bone plates. After I made sure I was completely dry, I again bellowed so loudly I thought the walls will crumble merely from the sound. But they held. The Bullheads did a sharp turn in my direction, and I felt it. The pure, unadulterated, bare feeling of primal fear. I inhaled loudly, trying to capture every single piece of it, bringing the fear on the forefront of the Bullheads' occupants' minds. Some of the metal monstrosities jerked involuntarily, but continued their trek across the skies, converging on me.

And then I was hit by a wall of emotions. A HUGE wall. It seems like I did influence the Vale itself, not only the Bullheads, like I intended. I struggled to consume these abnormal amounts of fear myself, but only succeeded in emerging more of it from the hearts of people in the process. A fleeting thought of mine was "That fear is sure to attract a lot of Grimm". And as soon as I thought like that, I heard stomping, roaring and snarling from behind me. Turning round, I lost all ability to speak.

The Grimm were advancing towards Vale, in all varieties: massive, elephant-like Goliaths, who were shaking the very earth by merely walking; hordes of Beowolves, moving in coordinated packs behind the occasional Alpha; Boarbatusks, waving their sharp tusks and evoking low growls; Ursai, galloping towards the walls like an improvised cavalry… I squealed in glee. This is sure to provoke even more fear…

And then I felt a bullet zooming past me and hitting one of the Beowolves, killing it instantly. I couldn't bear such a rude interruption of my victorious thoughts, so I aimed my wakizashi at the Bullhead, crouched down and began raining fire on the people inside. The third barrage from my Dancers succeeded in killing someone inside, judging by the headless body falling out. But I couldn't tell, even with my acute vision, who it was. Sliding two Earth Dust crystals into the revolving chambers of my blades, I took aim at another Bullhead and shot. I wasn't disappointed. All four bullets pierced the right hover engine, making the VTOL tilt precariously and begin to uncontrollably spin. After it crashed, I was sure that everyone on board, save maybe for the pilot, survived the crash. Shame.

And so I began to take the flying monstrosities out of the sky, occasionally evading a hail of projectiles heading my way. It was eerily like a dance: crouch, shoot, roll away from the bullets, rinse and repeat in another direction. I could hear an occasional scream of pain from the thicket, but they were short-lived, maybe due to death of the person screaming, or simply because the Grimm was killed by his/her teammates, it didn't matter. I knew only one thing for sure—I haven't felt so much fear, despair and anger ever in my life. Even temporary bursts of them were enough. I inhaled and exhaled, inhaled and exhaled, relishing in the feeling, until…

 _ **WARNING: Due to absorbing a lot of negative emotions of humans, your inactive status effect "The Grimm" has been activated.**_

 _ **Deactivation is possible at will.**_

 _ **WARNING: Due to activating "The Grimm", status effect "Grimm Body" has been removed due to redundancy.**_

 _ **Note: due to no longer being a human, your Aura is now replaced permanently with "Grimm Dragon's Blessing".**_

 _ **Beginning racial transition, please wait…**_

I screamed, unable to contain it because of the searing pain I experienced all over my body. I didn't know how long I've spent screaming my throat raw, but eventually I passed out in a bush, wishing for the torture to end…

* * *

 _==An hour ago, in the Signal Academy, from Tai's perspective==_

After a customary teacher meeting in the beginning of the year, we all walked out in the hallway towards the canteen, where right now all the new arrivals are located. My thoughts were occupied by only two of them: my daughter, Yang and an orphan prodigy, Fulvus. The latter proved himself a good fighter even for his age, not even mentioning his inhumane proficiency in forging. He had no hints, no leads, nothing! And yet he managed to create something that managed to impress even the dusty crow. And his moves… They spoke of a person who knew what he is doing—he didn't blindly rush at the dummy, but instead used the recoil from his guns (how did he manage to reload them, I have no idea) to sever the head of the dummy, not even batting an eye. And the more concerning fact was that the move was not a typical sword move. Even Qrow later admitted he never knew that such a move was even possible with the sword. Of course, he liberally used it in conjunction with his scythe, and planned to teach Ruby the same move, when she was older, but that's it! The sword is not a scythe, yet he managed to mutilate the dummy enough to send it for reforging. And his reaction to Qrow's question… It was even more vague. At first glance it seemed like he was completely honest, but in hindsight he shouldn't have reacted so strongly to a simple question…

I heard a commotion behind the doors of the canteen, with an echoing dull roar. Opening them, I was presented with a sight I would like to forget. A full-fledged Grimm, not unlike a small human-shaped Beowolf, was standing in the middle of the circle, made by the frightened children. And when it emitted a low growl, we were sure someone would die this very moment. But it stood right there, giving off an impression of a cornered beast. We tried to shoot it down, but… the bullets simply deflected from a purplish shield around the creature. Not unlike an Aura, I absently noted, preparing to shoot a grenade at the beast. As if on cue, the "Beowolf" twitched, and we fired all our heavy ammunition at it. To our disbelief, the beast stood right there without caring about anything. But then…

It grabbed a familiar pair of swords, jumped upwards, shot its weapons and propelled itself through a window, essentially escaping. I couldn't believe my very eyes. That… _was that Fulvus?_ I scanned the crowd, while other professors rushed outside to catch the Grimm. Qrow also remained, trying to find Fulvus in the crowd, but to no avail. While we were standing there, trying to understand what happened, we heard a scream. A shriek. And the sound was more than enough to send a herd of shivers down my spine. The students broke into tears. I quickly rushed to comfort the crying children, while Qrow was already relaying the situation to Beacon. I heard Ozpin on the other side of the line promising a full contingent of his third year students currently not on a mission. I exhaled. This meant the situation will soon be under control. I hope the boy is still alive within the beast. Or else he would be killed on sight.

And then I was approached by my daughter. "Dad, I need to talk with you and Uncle Qrow. It is urgent!" she practically demanded of me, pulling me (oh, she is strong no doubt) and Qrow outside the canteen. There she stopped, and began recounting the story how Fulvus suddenly transformed into a Grimm. But the further she proceeded, the more dread I began to feel. She mentioned him saying "I can sense… wishing to tear my heart out of my chest… grind my bones to dust…" and feeling a sharp increase in killing intent around the room, and then something in me just _clicked._ I whirred to Qrow, stopping my daughter. "Qrow. Tell Ozpin situation has escalated. The boy's a negative empath and able to influence the negative thoughts of people. If he can, Oum-knows-how, transform into a Grimm…" I stopped, noticing the look of panic, understanding and dread in my partner's eyes. So he came to the same conclusion.

We're on the verge of a massive Grimm invasion, the likes of which were not seen since the Great War.

* * *

 _==At the same time, in the Beacon Academy==_

Upon receiving the latest and most concerning message from Qrow, saying that we might soon find ourselves in a large Grimm incursion, I put down my customary coffee mug and stood up, relaying an emergency message through the intercoms.

" _ **All students cleared for missions are to assemble on the landing platforms one through eleven in five minutes. I repeat, landing platforms one through eleven in five minutes. You will be briefed upon boarding."**_ Watching the camera feeds, I noticed the telltale signs of obvious distress on the students' faces. Let's hope it won't escalate into fear, when they will meet the enemy… And we didn't even accept a new batch of first years yet, which is to happen tomorrow, I guess, with all the circumstances,

Taking a sip, I stood up and proceeded to the landing platform one, intent on accompanying the teams there on the mission. Of course, the Beacon was a priority, but the Grimm will most likely be targeting Vale, not the academy right now, and that reversed the roles.

By the time I arrived, the Bullhead was already prepped for takeoff, and the students were climbing inside, obviously not understanding the situation. I keyed into the Beacon CCT and transmitted a message to everyone who will be going to Vale. _**"This is the briefing message. Five minutes ago we have received a message about a Grimm invasion, likely**_ _ **to**_ _ **happen**_ _ **very soon. The Incursion is estimated to be a Crimson-class threat. We will arrive via Bullheads and thin the**_ _ **Grimm**_ _ **ranks from above. It is strongly recommended to concentrate your fire on priority targets: Goliaths and Nevermores. Once on the ground, keep close to each other and do not wander off at all costs. The Hunters will be working on the ground, you are to assist them if able. The last warning: there had been spotted a new type of Grimm. Empathic, possibly able to manipulate your negative emotions. Highly dangerous, retreat on sight. Able to..."**_ I stopped, considering my next words. Then I decided it isn't worth their lives to withhold any information. _**"**_ _ **…**_ _ **wield high-powered firearms".**_

And for a moment there was absolute silence. And the next… the dam burst. Telling the pilots to take off, I sat on the edge of the hatch and gazed into the distance, seemingly unconcerned. But deep down I was conflicted. What if the boy wasn't the only one? And if he is, what does it mean for us? Are we entering the ages of darkness again? I shook the foreboding thought out of my mind, concentrating on the task again. Right now I'm not a headmaster. I'm a Huntsman, and my duty is to protect people from the creatures of Grimm.

* * *

We were flying above the center of Vale, when I heard a blood-curdling screech somewhere from within the forest, eerily like someone had been scratching a glass pane with metal claws. Even not being an empath, I could feel the waves of fear rolling off the Hunters-in-training in the Bullhead. And then… It seems we were not the only ones to hear the screech. The citizens down below heard it too and began panicking. I furrowed my brows. Was that the reason for the sound, to scare the people so they attract the Grimm? Ordering the Bullheads to turn in the direction of the sound, I finally noticed it. "The Grimm Herald", as Qrow so aptly named the Grimm. It seems the boy is either completely absorbed by the Herald, or… he's doing this of his own will. I couldn't fathom why a thirteen-year old boy would try to attack Vale all of a sudden. From what we know about Fulvus Saffron, it is that he survived a Grimm attack on his village and successfully escaped with some other inhabitants, making it to Vale. But the records have never shown a boy even slightly resembling his features entering the walls of Vale. Even the cameras around the city first spotted him only this June. Meaning there is something more sinister brewing under my nose, and I have no idea what it is. Something that threatens not only Vale, but the humanity as a whole.

I was torn from my musings as I noticed the black humanoid shape on the ground, seemingly overjoyed, judging by its smiling expression. Someone from behind shot his sniper rifle at Fulvus, missing him by a hair's breadth. That… proved to be a mistake. The boy turned our way, smile gone and replaced by a mask, distorted in anger. Then he grabbed his weapons and began shooting. The bullets simply tore through the Bullhead, effectively decimating everyone inside, and one boy, who was missing a head, fell out of the opened hatch. Shortly thereafter the barrage was over. I was sporting a scratch on my cheek, despite having my Aura activated. That revelation was very troubling. It meant the bullets were not made from metal or Dust, but something else completely. Observing the wounds, I confirmed my suspicions—there were no bullets inside, despite the projectiles not tearing through the body. I counted twelve bullet marks in total, meaning there were in fact three barrages, if Qrow was right in his recounting of Fulvus' weapon. I told the pilot to fly away from here and jumped off from the Bullhead, noticing another one spinning and crashing down, killing three students who had a misfortune to land right where it crashed. It pained me to see so many lives snuffed out in mere seconds after the battle began, but I still ran to the Bullhead to see what had brought it down. And there I found the projectiles. Some kind of energy, similar to Aura and having elemental properties, since the projectiles were Ground-based. Sniper bullets, judging by the caliber and shape. I took one with me, hoping it wouldn't dissolve soon, and gazed up in the sky. It was already painted crimson. The Bullheads fell out of the sky, burying the unlucky under their massive frames, exploding and generally creating panic. The little that remained, stayed a safe distance away, not willing to join the fray, but ready to extract the wounded at a moment's notice.

And there were lots of injured students. Many teams were either extinct or defunct now. The stench of blood and Grimm ichor in the air reminded me of the stories about the Great War. But the most overwhelming was the fact that we already lost half of our trained Hunters' contingent, and the students were in even worse shape. The Grimm were ruthless and merciless, killing and devouring their prey, not leaving behind anything, save for the pools of blood and occasional Hunter weapon.

And, when we already began to lose hope and I was prepared to call off the students, another shriek, now one of pain, was heard throughout the forest. The Grimm suddenly stopped dead in their tracks and after a brief moment of silence, they began retreating. That was not an organized retreat by any stretch of imagination, no, but it was not spontaneous, either. Ordering three students to come with me, I began running in the direction of the pained scream, weaving between the trees and occasional Grimm corpses. We eventually arrived at a small clearing, where we bore witness to a very strange scene. An Ursa Major, very old and experienced, if the scratches on his plates were any indication, gently picked up the boy, who seemed to be unconscious, hoisted him on his back between the spikes and took off in an earth-shattering sprint back the direction where the horde retreated.

We returned back to Vale on the Bullheads that remained after the battle, or, "The Incursion", as it was already called by many. The spirits were running very low, and nobody could guarantee these conditions will not attract even more Grimm. Right now we can only wait and pray for the best…

* * *

 _==September the 2nd, 2009, 6:32 AM, somewhere deep within the Grimm Territory==_

I groaned, awakening from my deep slumber. Seems like I passed out again, and somehow transported to Oum knows where. Nothing out of ordinary: after all, I seem to attract all kinds of trouble like a living magnet. I tried asking someone, where I am, but the only sounds I could push out of my throat were dull growls, snarls and occasional roar. Bringing my hands to my eyes, I noticed they now resembled those of an Ursa, though retaining the slimness of human limbs. The same could be said about my legs and torso. Not having a mirror, I couldn't tell if my hands changed in any way, though one thing could be said for certain.

The mask now covered my head completely. Not even the slit for mouth or ears remained, although my dark-brown hair (now turned jet black) somehow were above the mask and covering the majority of it. Cracking my neck and not noticing any motor dysfunctions of my limbs, I slowly stood up, a little wobbling due to sudden growth. I was now on par with my old self in terms of height, actually. Good, now I won't be feeling inferior when presented with an adult Hunter. Step by step I tested my new body. Stretching and flexing proved very easy, in fact. My stamina was also way higher than before. But the most shocking revelation was…

My Aura was no longer colored gold. In fact, it was now deep-purple, almost black in color. I attributed it to the _**Grimm Dragon's Blessing**_. After all, it did replace my Aura due to me not being human anymore. I wonder what my Status is right now…

 _Status._

 _ **Title: Magician**_

 _ **Name: Fulvus Saffron**_

 _ **Age: 13**_

 _ **Race: The Grimm (+30% to physical stats)**_

 _ **Karma: -2342**_

 _ **Semblance: The Gamer v.1.2.**_

 _ **HP: 412. With bonuses: 838 HP.**_

 _ **MP: 918. With bonuses: 2231 MP.**_

 _ **Level: 27**_

 _ **STR: 65**_

 _ **VIT: 75**_

 _ **DEX: 100**_

 _ **INT: 150**_

 _ **WIS: 150**_

 _ **LUK: 4**_

 _ **Available SP: 0**_

 _ **EXP: 2450/74 000**_

 _ **Sigil: NOT AVAILABLE**_

 _ **Lien: 32 360 000**_

I almost coughed. Wow, that's broken. Well, my Aura is. Buffing my stats and actually multiplying the thing by 1.4 is just… imbalanced at all! And the regeneration rate! Being constant at 1.5% per second without the buffs, it makes 33.5 MP/sec. And with the _**Magician**_ buff… _ **33.5×1.75**_ _ **= 58.6 MP/sec.**_

59 mana points in just a mere second! Total 38 seconds to fill the whole bar from 0!

My ego-stroking was rudely interrupted by a low, dangerous growl. A growl my still sleep-addled brain registered as " _Finally awake, human runt?"_ I whirred to the source of the sound and had my field of vision occupied by a large, ancient Ursa Major. And by ancient I mean _ancient._ Its bony plates covered almost every inch of its hide, and almost every plate in turn was scratched, fractured, even in some places freely dangling from its very skin. I couldn't help but gulp. That is an enemy I wouldn't dare cross, no matter what situation I find myself in. And, to spice it, my Observe kindly projected a jet black skull above its head, with no name at all, save for some symbols I could tell were not unlike hieroglyphics. There was no second meaning. This creature could kill me just by walking past me. And it was named some millennia ago by some ancient civilization.

That's quite scary, there's point in denying it. Another series of growls, translated in my brain (by the way, do I still have it? I'm now a Grimm after all…) into an order to follow the Ursa, prompted me to move. I didn't want to anger it… him… her… (do Grimm even have genders?), so I meekly followed, trying to understand, where in the Remnant I was. My suspicions proved true, unfortunately, when we stepped outside the volcanic cave. That was the Uncharted Lands, beyond the lands of any kingdom or even settlement. Every continent on Remnant had its majority of lands completely uncharted. The only information about the continents the humanity had was in fact salvaged from ancient ruins in the early ages of kingdoms, when the occasional traveler found a ruin of a city, a small town or a castle. Many of them contained the maps of Remnant, further enhanced when the current generation of humans launched their Dust-powered satellites into space. Unfortunately, they found out that Dust did not in fact function outside the atmosphere, being suppressed by some kind of a field, enveloping the entire world. Fortunately, the satellites, upon reentering the atmosphere, were able to make and subsequently transmit back down some pictures and scans of Remnant, before crashing in the Uncharted Lands, never to be found again. After that, the humanity made some more durable, multi-staged rockets, calculated the trajectory to the Shattered Moon, and launched the things with some humans on board. They were informed of the possible consequences of such a travel never tested before, but, according to the authorities, all the subjects were willing. Yeah, I wouldn't bet a single Lien on that—they were dangerous criminals most likely, who were scheduled for execution anyway. It was either be shot in the head or be shot in the sky. Only the latter was actually a novelty. The crew pads had actually returned back on Remnant, using parachutes, several days later. With no signs of people ever being present on board. That scared the majority of the populace, and the space-research program was terminated, never to be spoken of ever after. That was a more darker aspect of the world, infested by Grimm—there was no place to run away. The only fuel source, that was useful and abundant enough to conquer space was Dust, and Dust did not function in space period. And the entire world was practically teeming with the creatures of pure darkness, even underground. Sure, there never were really dangerous Grimm, the largest one living underground was a size of an average house cat, but the point still stood. The Grimm dominated every single place: air was filled with Nevermores, water was also dangerous because of the shark- and whale-like Grimm roaming the oceans, the land was pretty much obviously not safe, and the underground was not a place to hide either. Many land-dwelling Grimm displayed a surprising proficiency in digging the earth with their claws, if the prey was actually hiding subsurface.

The humanity did never develop the art of chemical synthesis. They did not know about what gunpowder was, what was plastic or even silicon-based electronic chip. The only elements they knew about were oxygen (since it was the gas that supported organic life), carbon (after encountering some oddly-colored black layers of what they assumed initially was Dust, until they observed its properties, namely, burning in the presence of oxygen with becoming white-hot after some time) and nitrogen (discovering it after cooling some air to the point of liquefying oxygen, and some time later, nitrogen with some liberal use of Ice Dust). They also knew the air was deadly without any of those gases present, or if they were mixed in incorrect proportions. But such elements as sulfur, hydrogen, helium and potassium were unknown.

But, from all I've managed to salvage from the Signal Library while being a legitimate student there during the summer I found humans on Remnant never in its existence managed to encounter even a milliliter of crude oil. Which was rather strange for a world with literally millennia of years of history. Being a fossil fuel, petroleum is formed when large quantities of dead organisms, usually zooplankton and algae, are buried underneath sedimentary rock and subjected to both intense heat and pressure. Intense heat? Check, or else this magmatic field wouldn't have existed. Pressure? Check, tons of sheer rock under my feet should provide a lot of it. Dead organisms? Unknown, since the Grimm do not die naturally, and I don't see any animals simply running around this hellhole, nor do I think the area was ever covered with algae. And how the Oum does Dust form? I guess it's the same way as crude oil, since the SDC has to mine it like coal, though I have an inkling it originated from not plants or animals, but something else entirely. If only I knew what.

Returning from my musings, I found the Ursa staring at me with its blood-red eyes, giving off an impression of a hawk staring at its prey. Suddenly it _huffed in something closely resembling laughter,_ and turned around, prompting me to follow it through the seismically active field of burning-hot lava, flowing out of an occasional crack in the thick crust. I rolled my eyes, internally asking myself if my sanity flew out of the window sometime ago. Deciding it was pretty much true, I proceeded to walk behind the beast. Then the Ursa growled at me, beginning a weird growl-snarl-roar-huff-growl type of conversation.

" _You're a very amusing human, runt. I've rarely seen any soul creatures expressing any real interest in how this world works. Especially in those who were as mature as you are."_

" _Oh, so the Grimm can read minds? Or is it something else? You didn't seem to pick on my thoughts as far as I know."_

The elder bear-like Grimm huffed again. _"Hah, we cannot. It is just you humans radiate your emotions for every soulless to see, taste and_ _feel_ _. We can sense all kinds of emotions, it is just the negativity that agitates us and makes us who we are."_

That was a revelation. Not a single book on Grimm behavior ever mentioned that fact. But, perhaps humanity never known that.

" _So, am I a Grimm, or, as you likely prefer to name yourself, soulless?"_

" _Not yet, runt. You still have to prove yourself."_ He said, not even pausing after my sentence. So he expected me to ask that question sooner or later.

" _So, what does "proving myself" entail among the soulless? I doubt it is a simple civil talk about weather."_

" _It is something you should be ready for, human."_ The Ursa Major let out in a deeper than normal baritone, sending a warning to my danger senses. Oh, alright. I guess…

Eventually arriving at a small forest clearing (and I could see it was a forest, until lava burnt the trees down to ashes), my guide suddenly raised its face in the sky and let out a howl, eerily similar to that of a Beowolf, though significantly lower in pitch and way more loud. His answer was a dozen or two howls, not really dissimilar in tone and pitch, but in a lower volume. I immediately guessed what it meant. The Ursa Major that was standing near me right now, was a leader of his own pack of Ursai. And right now they all were heading our way.

I tensed, expecting something to leap out of the shadows, cast by the burnt husks of vegetation, once growing here. And tensed even more, seeing the first member of the pack leaving the darkness. He was a fully-grown Major as well, but that Grimm was not as big as the leader, nor did he look as old. He was followed by another, and then another, and then another… I eventually lost count. Not all of them were Ursai. I could see Beowolves, Boarbatusks and a small Nevermore perched on a tree above the piece of land. But the whole assembly easily filled the whole clearing, and then some. I was really scared at this point, since _all_ of the big ones had a reddish skull above their heads, indicating they were very strong. In fact, if one was to combine their power in a single entity, I guess even the ancient Ursa leader would be hard-pressed to win. But the convenience was they were separate, and thus weaker. And all of the Grimm present radiated a huge amount of sheer intent to kill or maim me, even the Nevermore. Again suppressing a stray shiver running down my spine, I assumed a sitting position so as not to tower over the leader. Apparently that was a correct move, as the killing intent permeating the air lessened somewhat to the point of being bearable. I sighed in relaxation, but the moment was short-lived, as the Ursa leader spoke.

" _Today, brethren, we have gathered so we could decide on a new addition to the Soulless! This…"_ he suddenly paused, observing me shrewdly. _"...child has wished to become free from its bindings of soul and wills to join our ranks. So thus we begin the Initiation!"_

 _The Initiation?_ What is going on? I couldn't ask, as the victorious roars of Ursai drowned every other sounds in the clearing.

"""""" _For it is in surviving that we achieve strength. Through this, we become a renegade of demerit and fear to rise above all. Absolute in power and forgotten by death, I release your soul, and thus disperse it!""""""_

I screamed. Hard. That's so painful!

 _ **Alert: negative mental influence detected. Deploying countermeasures…**_

 _ **Countermeasures ineffective, beginning threat evaluation.**_

 _ **Threat: Immediate, top priority. Attempting absorption…**_

…

…

 _ **Absorption successful.**_

 _ **Please, select your new race!**_

" _I see you survived, human child. You now have a choice to become a true Soulless. Choose wisely, for the Grimm never has a second chance if he dies."_

Hearing the voice of Ursa Leader in my head through the haze of blinding pain, I decided to heed his advice. Whom can I choose? Not a Nevermore, nor a Boarbatusk. The first one is a flying type, and I'm not a big fan of flying. The second is too… straightforward for my tastes. A Beowolf? Maybe, but if only I manage to become rather strong to overpower whatever foe I meet, otherwise it is useless. An Ursa? Sure, it is a strong type, and rather deadly when encountered, but I prefer a faster type of body. And, for me to use my weapons, I will need to somewhat resemble a human. The other types are also like that. A Creep lacks hands, King Taijitu is a freaking snake, and becoming a Goliath is somewhat… boring. A Death Stalker? Agile, very durable, and freakishly fast. And the weak points can be covered by my Blessing, it didn't disappear, after all. But the same can be told about a Beowolf… Ugh, so hard to choose.

Then an inspiration hit me nice and hard. I laughed in joy and chose a Death Stalker. After all, what forbids me from sneaking into the Emerald Forest and replacing a Death Stalker already there? Or even coexisting peacefully, waiting for teams RWBY and JNPR to come and try me out.

I felt my whole body changing, growing in size, removing the skeleton, growing the carapace, tail and legs. My eyes also underwent a complete transformation into five pairs of glowing red eyes. Then I felt a stinger quickly expanding on the tip of my tail. Afraid it might pierce my skin and kill me before I even transformed, I subconsciously curled the tail into a spiral, hiding the stinger. A pair of large, bone-like pincers replaced my arms.

 _ **Racial change successful!**_

 _ **Your new race: Death Stalker.**_

 _ **Attention! New Gamer version available. Would you like to see the change log?**_

 _Yes._

 _ **The Gamer v.2.0.0 "A Grimm Update"**_

 _ **New features:**_

 _ **1\. A new tab was added to your Menu. "Grimm Customization" allows you to build a Grimm of your own liking! To customize one's appearance and stats, a Player must need Negative Karma. All customizations have a cost in {NKr}, depending on the size and complexity of the addition. In order to gain more {NKr}, a Player should frighten, maim or kill a person, giving 50, 75 and 100% of Karma points respectively. In Grimm form, the Karma automatically fills the bar at the rate of 5 NKr per minute.**_

 _ **2\. You now have the ability to switch between your Human and Soulless form. Time of metamorphosis—10 seconds.**_

 _ **3\. You can now earn Infamy Points in your Grimm form by attacking human settlements, inducing fear and panic and generally scaring the populace. Upon reaching a certain point, a subjugation team may be dispatched in order to kill you. Eliminating them will earn you even more Infamy. The higher the Infamy, the stronger the subjugation teams are. To lower your Infamy, simply go into hiding.**_

 _ **4\. Redesign of your HUD and UI. Now, while in Grimm form, your HUD and UI will be colored in Grimm patterns. This also affects BGM. All BGM in Grimm form now gain a slight distortion effect, coupled with occasional white noise pauses.**_

 _ **5\. Minor changes.**_

Wow. Just… Wow. That's just awesome! I even snapped my pincers in joy, causing some of the Soulless to back away, not willing to get bisected. Opening my new Customization screen, I gave a look at the opportunities. The sheer amount was astounding. I could actually change the size of some of my body parts, while also putting on additional plates for defence, I could also add poison glands into my pincers, making them as poisonous as my tail, I could do anything! Quickly covering the whole body with plates, making my body slightly smaller for more agility, adding those glands, making my stinger detachable (for throwing it, of course!) and also adding a lot of regeneration ability, I quickly hit the cap for my augmentations. Spending 2700 NKr on them is a worthy investment, in my opinion (I got the excess 400 from making myself smaller, apparently).

The purplish-red light enveloped me and I suddenly shrunk to about 4 meters in length and 2.5 in height. But now I had a near-impenetrable body armor, covering me from the tip of my pincers to the joint between the tail and stinger. And the armor was rather flexible, too, if my tail waving was any indication.

A Beowolf from the surrounding crowd laughed at my apparently small size. I retaliated by raising my tail and throwing the deadly stinger at it. The poor wolf didn't stand a chance, being not impaled, but _torn apart_ by it. Whoops, I miscalculated, sorry. I sheepishly waved my tail again, where a new stinger already began to form. Its packmates, being intimidated, warily observed my moving tail, expecting that move once more. I didn't plan on dealing more death to the Grimm today, and, in fact, I want to kill some people—my Karma Points were dry.

I relayed my wishes to the Ursa leader, who nodded in turn and began preparing his pack for a Hunt. A Human Hunt.

* * *

 _==Four hours later, The Emerald Forest==_

We have arrived. The Emerald Forest, a place where barely-of-age children are fighting for their lives in order to enroll into one of the most prestigious Hunter Academies in Remnant. And today was the day of their Initiation. When I told the leader about how the Initiation occurs among humans and recited an Aura-unlocking verse, he broke into loud laughter, enough to scare the children up on the cliff, who were waiting for the signal to start. Giving an order to split in trios and quartets, the Ursa Leader moved deep into the forest, while I was on my own. Quickly scooting to the cave I knew was there, I entered it, only to find… nobody there. Did someone kill the Stalker before we arrived? And then I was hit with the realization.

There was never a Stalker in this cave. The scorpion in the show was in fact yours truly! I couldn't hold a laugh from the predicament. So now I shall spend four boring years in that Oum-be-damned cave? No!

Then I realized that maybe the Nevermore from the show was in fact _our_ Nevermore? I laughed even harder. Seems the destiny leads the plot along the same paths no matter the change.

 **(A/N. PLOT TWIST! ;D)**

Ah, whatever. Right now it's time to Hunt!

{Muffled screams} {Munching sounds} {Trees creaking and falling} {Metal clanging}

And then, silence.

* * *

I returned to the cave, happy with myself. I've managed to decimate about 90% of hopefuls by watching where they landed and where they headed, picking them one by one before they could team up on me due to my superior speed not expected from a Death Stalker. I couldn't prevent it completely, though, and the last battle with seven kids left me with deep gouges on my pincers and my tail, while they lost three of their teammates to my surprise stinger and equally poisonous pincers. I consider us even now and I've gained some respect for those brave kids who fell covering the hasty retreat of the last team of four standing. And I guess Ozpin is already aware of the situation. I just hope he won't try to clear out the whole forest. He needs the Grimm for Initiation, after all.

My Karma shot up to -4800 after killing 24 kids out of 28 entering the forest, so I entered the "Cust" screen, adding some thickness to the plates, hastening my regeneration and growing some "muscles" in order to make me more agile and strong. I also grew lots of spikes on my armor, also supplying them with poison. Spending about three thousands on the additions, I felt an urge to sleep. I tried to combat it, but it quickly overwhelmed me, and in a moment I was sleeping already.

 _==Meanwhile, at the Ceremony in Beacon==_

I went up the dais with a somber and mournful expression on my face. Today's Initiation was a complete failure. Out of 28 children entering the forest, only four made it out alive, if only barely. The others were lost to the Death Stalker now prowling the forest. I made it up, picked up the microphone and began speaking.

"I'll… keep this brief. Today's Initiation showed us that the time of peace never lasts for long. The Grimm have become more active, and due to that… we had lost twenty-four students in the Emerald Forest." I spoke the last part quietly, but everyone in the hall heard me. And stunned by the revelation. Never in the history of Beacon had we lost so many children to the forces of Grimm at once. I cleared my dry throat and continued. "But four children… no, Hunters-in-training, had managed to complete the Initiation despite the overwhelming odds. And now I will call them forward. Pewter Iamus, Regalia Sanatio, Windsor Williams and Liseran Cruz, from now on you form the team PRWL (Periwinkle), led by Pewter Iamus!"

 **A/N 2. Wow, that was overwhelming to write, you know! Next chapter will feature a two-year timeskip in order for us to get closer to the story, yup! We will be meeting all the characters we've met, and our newborn Team PRWL will also play its major role in the plot, just not now. So, Read, Review, Favorite and Follow! P.S. I'm experiencing trouble with the reviews you've so kindly submitted, namely, I can't see them on the site, only through my mail. But do not worry, all your reviews are read, appreciated and given a digital cookie for the effort! Also thanks to M.J. for his helpful suggestions! I ever again remind you that your suggestions can and will weasel themselves into the plot one way or another! So don't be so shy!**


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